NLEX Corporation expects to complete by the third quarter of 2026 the new two-kilometer Section 1A of Segment 8.2, a project designed to ease traffic in Novaliches and improve connectivity between northern Metro Manila and major expressway corridors.
The elevated road section will run from Mindanao Avenue to Quirino Highway and will directly connect the Mindanao Toll Plaza to Quirino Highway once completed.
The project, which costs P2.2 billion, is being undertaken with China Road and Bridge Corporation as civil works contractor.
NLEX said the all-weather elevated expressway will allow motorists to bypass local intersections and avoid congestion points along Mindanao Avenue. It will also cross over the Tullahan River, providing a faster route for vehicles moving through the area.
The elevated link will operate 24 hours a day and will be open to all vehicle classes. It is expected to serve about 11,000 vehicles daily once operational, helping reduce traffic buildup on key Novaliches roads.
Section 1A forms the first phase of the larger 11.3-kilometer NLEX-C5 Northlink, also known as Segment 8.2. The full alignment will eventually extend from Mindanao Avenue to C5/C.P. Garcia Avenue near Katipunan Avenue.
Once completed, the project is expected to provide a high-speed eastern corridor linking northern and southern Luzon through Metro Manila.
NLEX continues to operate key toll road assets connecting Metro Manila to Central and Northern Luzon. Its main expressway spans about 105 kilometers, or 598 lane-kilometers, while it also operates the 94-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway across Bataan, Pampanga, and Tarlac.
The company earlier reported net income of P3.84 billion in the first quarter of 2026, up eight percent from P3.55 billion in the same period last year.
Toll revenues reached P8.02 billion from January to March, a 15-percent increase from P6.98 billion a year earlier, driven by higher traffic volume and the impact of toll rate adjustments implemented in January 2026.
Average daily traffic on NLEX rose two percent to 361,665 vehicle entries, while SCTEX traffic also grew two percent to 83,930 daily entries. Traffic on the NLEX Connector reached 22,146 daily entries in the first quarter, up seven percent from the previous year.