Marcos opens new NLEX-C5 Northlink section, offers toll-free passage until year-end

Floyd Brenz., Philippine Canadian Inquirer
October 29, 2026

Photo Courtesy: MPC

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday inaugurated a new two-kilometer section of the NLEX-C5 Northlink project, providing motorists with a faster route between Quezon City and Valenzuela City ahead of the expected Undas traffic rush.

The newly opened Segment 8.2 Section 1A links Quirino Highway in Quezon City to the NLEX Mindanao Toll Plaza in Valenzuela. Marcos announced that motorists can use the new road without paying toll fees until the end of 2026.

The government expects the new segment to significantly reduce travel time between the two points, from around 40 minutes to just five minutes. It will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and is designed to accommodate all vehicle classes, with an estimated 11,000 vehicles expected to use it daily.

The road also provides motorists coming from Quirino Highway with direct access to the NLEX Connector, offering another route toward Manila, the University Belt and nearby cities. Northbound travelers can connect to the NLEX mainline and continue toward Central and Northern Luzon through the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.

Officials expect the additional route to help ease pressure on major roads, including EDSA, while improving the movement of commuters, goods and commercial vehicles across Metro Manila.

The newly opened section forms part of the 11.3-kilometer NLEX-C5 Northlink Segment 8.2, which will extend from Mindanao Avenue to C5/C.P. Garcia near Katipunan Avenue once completed. The broader project aims to strengthen connections between northern and southern Luzon through the eastern side of Metro Manila.

The expressway project is being implemented under a public-private partnership, with the Toll Regulatory Board serving as the government grantor and NLEX Corporation, under Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, as the private concessionaire.

Following the inauguration, Marcos also inspected ongoing construction of Phase 1 of the Metro Manila Subway Project and received an update on its progress.