Magsaysay Flyover to be decommissioned in favor of NLEX Connector

Heads up, motorists. The NLEX Corporation has announced that they will be redesigning Magsaysay Boulevard starting this month as part of the construction of the NLEX Connector Sta. Mesa segment.

The redevelopment of the boulevard will see the rehabilitation of the existing eastbound and westbound service roads, the improvement of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) railroad crossing, the relocation of electric posts, as well as the decommissioning of the Magsaysay Flyover.

Work on the improvement project will be implemented until Q1 of 2023 with the decommissioning of the flyover set to be completed by December 2022 just before the holidays. The work will be done in phases, with temporary lane closures commencing at the road going to Legarda in Manila, then at the road going to Cubao in Quezon City. A minimum of three lanes per direction will remain open during the daytime, while two lanes per direction will be available at nighttime.

Once work is completed, NLEX Corp. claims the traffic flow at Magsaysay Boulevard is expected to improve as it will have a configuration of five lanes per direction. The lanes will also be wider at 3.5 meters per lane, at par with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) standard.

Currently, Magsaysay Boulevard comes with six lanes per direction with narrow lanes measuring 2.5 meters. With the decommissioning of the Magsaysay Flyover, the Connector mainline will be at the second level rather than at the fourth level, ensuring safer and faster travel of all classes of vehicles particularly Class 3 vehicles coming to and from the port areas.

NLEX Corp. and its contractor will undertake necessary measures to minimize slowdowns and ensure the safety of motorists and pedestrians during the redevelopment works. These include the deployment of traffic marshals and the placing of directional signs and safety devices at strategic locations.

The 8-kilometer NLEX Connector is divided into two sections: the España and Sta Mesa sections. The 5-kilometer España section runs from Caloocan Interchange on C3 Road, España Blvd. The 3-kilometer Sta Mesa section, on the other hand, runs from España Blvd. to R. Magsaysay Blvd., all the way to Sta. Mesa, Manila.

The Connector is designed to cater to all types of vehicles including trucks and is intended to spur economic progress by significantly improving the travel of motorists especially those in the logistics sector as the new road will shorten the transit time of cargoes. It is also estimated to benefit at least 35,000 vehicles per day and is projected to improve the connectivity between airports and seaports.

Last but not least, the Connector will cut travel time between NLEX and SLEX to just 20 minutes instead of the usual two hours. In addition, getting to and from Clark and Calamba will approximately take just 1 hour and 40 minutes instead of three hours.