Secretary Mark Villar of the Department of Public Works and Highways leads the inauguration of the 600-meter Balagtas Northbound Entry along the North Luzon Expressway. Photo by Carmela Reyes-Estrope
BALAGTAS, Bulacan –– Public Works Secretary Mark Villar on Tuesday inaugurated the 600-meter Balagtas Northbound Entry along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) that is seen to decongest the Cagayan Valley Road.
Villar said the Balagtas Northbound Entry is part of the “Build, Build, Build” project of the Duterte administration. It aims to decongest major thoroughfares and to provide comfort for travelers.
Luigi Bautista, NLEx president, said when completed, it would serve motorists coming from Nueva Ecija or the eastern parts of Bulacan and are going to Pampanga or other Northern Luzon areas.
Bautista said these motorists would no longer have to take the Sta. Rita entry via Cagayan Valley Road if going to the North but could directly go north via the Balagtas Northbound Entry.
In 2012, NLEx opened its Southbound entry via the Plaridel Bypass Road.
The Plaridel Bypass Road is reached through the NLEx exit along the Northbound lane of Balagtas area just after the Shell Balagtas station.
Bulacan Gov. Daniel Fernando said NLEx roads that connect Metro Manila and the rest of Northern and Central Luzon have played a major contribution to Central Luzon’s 9.5-percent increase in the gross domestic product in 2018.
Villar said such a rate would further increase when all the NLEx Bulacan road infrastructure projects are completed./lzb