CITY OF VALENZUELA—Motorists heading to Metro Manila from Central and Northern Luzon destinations will soon have a prime pit stop along Valenzuela City as the Nlex Corp., through its subsidiary Nlex Ventures Corp. (NVC), broke ground Monday last week, for its first company-owned expressway service facility, on the southbound of North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) in Barangay Canumay in this city.
The groundbreaking ceremony was led by Nlex Corp. President Rodrigo Franco and NVC President Renato Ticzon. They were joined by Nlex Corp. Senior Vice President for Tollways Development and Engineering Raul Ignacio; Vice President for Project Management Nemesio Castillo; RD Policarpio and Co. Inc. President Noelito Policarpio; and Project Manager Edwin Bautista.
The Nlex Drive & Dine will follow a mini-mall concept featuring a wide variety of retail and food establishments set against the backdrop of luscious greenery and modern expressway.
The 15,500-square-meter Nlex Drive & Dine will offer 37 leasable spaces with vast sidewalks surrounding the al-fresco dining areas.
“The Nlex Drive & Dine is envisioned to be the benchmarked expressway service facility for casual dining and leisure activities,” Ticzon said.
Ticzon added the project would serve as the “refill and relax” area where customers can refill their vehicles and stomach at the same time. It is a 2.7-hectare property, where 1.5 hectares is the area they bought and the remaining 1.2 hectares is the area they leased for five years. It will house 37 tenants, 32 locators and five kiosks for small stand-alone carts and etc. It will have parking spaces wherein at least 200 slots for Class 1; 10 slots for Class 2, such as buses; and 16 slots for Class 3 vehicles, such as trucks. They will have a carinderia-style truck stop for truck drivers and helpers where they can buy affordable food for as low as P70. It will also render basic repair service for trucks.
“This place aims to be a go-to destination for comfort and convenience,” he added.
For those who need a creative ambience for business conferences, the expressway service facility will also feature the Nlex Hub, a collaborative working space that offers comfortable working areas and meeting rooms complete with Internet connection.
Ticzon said the hub will serve as a business lounge. It will have customer-service center, mini-room, secretarial services, business equipment for business meetings, such as projector for individual businessmen who do not have offices.
It will have world-class, air-conditioned, well-lighted toilets where clients can smell and feel good.
The Nlex Drive and Dine is targeted to be completed by the second quarter of 2018. It is also expected to be preferred venue where motorists can make a quick break in the cozy restrooms or refuel their vehicles at the nearby fuel station.
The new attraction is easily accessible from both northbound and southbound directions of Nlex. It is situated between Meycauayan Exit, Smart Connect Interchange and Balintawak Exit.
“We are happy and excited for the Nlex Drive & Dine as the innovative project is parallel to the company’s commitment to provide high-quality service to our customers,” Franco said.
Franco added that more or less P300 million is the budget for the said project. He said it is part of the expressway’s ecosystem to provide convenience to motorists and one component of convenience is to provide a place for them. He said Caltex is the last gas station if the motorists were coming from Bocaue in Bulacan going to Manila.
Franco said the first Nlex-owned expressway service facility is very important because it will set standards. It will encourage contractors and developers to match and surpass the standards they set. They advocate good-quality service that determines the success of their business. They are confident they can finish the project within the time frame.
Nlex Corp. is a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the country’s largest tollway developer and operator.