North Luzon Expressway

R-8 C-5 North Luzon Expressway
North Diversion Road Marcelo H. del Pilar Superhighway Manila North Expressway
Map of expressways in Luzon, with the North Luzon Expressway in orange
Route information
Part of AH26
Maintained by Tollways Management Corporation
Length	84 km (52 mi)
Existed	1965–present
Component highways	R-8 R-8 C-5 C-5 AH 26 (26) in Metro Manila and Bulacan E1 from Metro Manila to Pampanga E5 in Metro Manila
Major junctions
North end	N213 (Mabalacat – Magalang Road) in Mabalacat E1 (SCTEX) in Mabalacat
Major intersections	N3 (Jose Abad Santos Avenue) in San Fernando N1 / AH 26 (26) (Cagayan Valley Road/Maharlika Highway) in Guiguinto E5 (NLEX Connect) in Smart Connect Interchange, Valenzuela
South end	N1 / AH 26 (26) (EDSA) / N160 (Bonifacio Avenue) in Balintawak Cloverleaf, Quezon City
Location
Country	Philippines
Major cities	Quezon City, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Meycauayan, Malolos, San Fernando, Angeles, Mabalacat
Towns	Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto, Plaridel, Pulilan, Calumpit, Apalit, San Simon, Santo Tomas, Mexico
Highway system
Roads in the Philippines Highways Expressways List

File:North Luzon Expressway logo.png

Logo used from 2005–2017. Still used alternatively.

The Santa Ines-bound NLEX, just north of Paso de Blas, Valenzuela

The North Luzon Expressway (NLE or NLEx), formerly known as the North Diversion Road and Manila North Expressway (MNEX), is a 4 to 8-lane limited-access toll expressway that connects Metro Manila to the provinces of the Central Luzon region in the Philippines. It is a component of Expressway 1 (E1) of the Philippine expressway network, Circumferential Road 5 (C-5) and Radial Road 8 (R-8) of Manila's arterial road network. It was built in the 1960s.

The expressway begins in Quezon City at the Balintawak Interchange with EDSA as a continuation of Andres Bonifacio Avenue. It then passes through Caloocan and Valenzuela in Metro Manila, and the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga in Central Luzon. It currently ends at Mabalacat and merges with the MacArthur Highway, which continues northward into the rest of Central and Northern Luzon. The segment between Santa Rita Exit in Guiguinto and the Balintawak Interchange in Quezon City is a part of the new alignment of the N1 (AH26).

The expressway, including Andres Bonifacio Avenue, has total length of 88 kilometers. The expressway segment has a length of 84 kilometres.

Originally controlled by the Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC), operation and maintenance of the NLEx was transferred in 2005 to NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (a former subsidiary of the Lopez Group of Companies until 2008). A major upgrade and rehabilitation was completed in February 2005 with road now having similar qualities to a modern French tollway and other entities.

History

Balintawak Interchange in 1968

The original stretch of the expressway, from Balintawak Interchange up to Guiguinto Exit in Bulacan, was completed on August 4, 1968. It is a fully fenced limited-access highway that consisted of a four-lane rural divided roadway, nine twin bridges, one railroad overpass, seven underpasses and three interchanges.

Originally a project of the Department of Public Works and Highways, the completion of the major portion of the job fell on the Construction Development Corporation of the Philippines (CDCP, the precursor to PNCC) to pioneer the toll concept of funding infrastructure. It was carried out under the private financing scheme provided by Republic Act 3741.

Additional work required by the government included the construction of the Balintawak – Novaliches Interchange Complex, the Tabang Interchange, and the approach road of the underpasses.

In 1976, the NLT extension, consisting of 50.9 kilometres (31.6 mi) of concrete road, was built as part of a highways program of the International Bank for Reconstruction Development (World Bank) linking major urban centers to the production centers in the north. The project features a 4-lane limited-access highway with a five-kilometer Candaba Viaduct, a construction innovation utilizing precast beam system, 6 interchanges, 12 bridges, and overpass/underpass structures.

In 1989, under the Corazon Aquino administration, the expressway was extended by another 5 km from its terminus at Dau Exit to Sta. Ines Exit in Mabalacat, Pampanga.

From 2003 to February 2005, the expressway underwent a major rehabilitation. Works included the widening of the Balintawak – Tabang segment from 6 to 8 lanes and the Tabang – Sta. Rita segment from 4 to 6 lanes, asphalt overlay, and the demolition of old tollbooths. The main contractor of the rehabilitation work was Leighton Contractors (Australia) with Egis Projects, a company belonging to the French Groupe Egis as the main subcontractor for the toll, telecommunication and traffic management systems. To help maintain the safety and quality of the expressway, various rules are in effect, such as restricting the left lane to passing vehicles only and banning overloaded trucks.

After the rehabilitation, the operation and maintenance of the expressway was transferred from the state-owned Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC) to the Manila North Tollways Corporation (now NLEX Corporation).

On June 5, 2010, the NLEx Segment 8.1 or the NLEX Mindanao Avenue Link, a four lane, 2.34 kilometres (1.45 mi) spur road that runs from Mindanao Avenue to the SMART Connect Interchange in Valenzuela City was opened. The spur road is a part of the C-5 Road North Extension and is built to provide another entry point to the expressway from Metro Manila and decongest the Balintawak Interchange. On March 18, 2015, NLEX Segment 9 or the NLEX Karuhatan Link was opened, a 4.06 kilometer long continuation of Segment 8.1 that runs from the other side of the SMART Connect Interchange to MacArthur Highway.

Route description

North Luzon Tollway/NLEX mainline

The North Luzon Tollway (NLT) or the NLEX mainline cuts northwards from Manila to the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga. The expressway parallels MacArthur Highway from Quezon City to Mabalacat in Pampanga. It has 8 lanes from Balintawak Interchange to Balagtas Interchange, 6 lanes from Balagtas Interchange to San Fernando Exit, and 4 lanes from San Fernando to Sta. Ines Exit. The expressways has bridges that cross seven rivers. Some portions of the expressway are lined with billboards, including its viaduct portion. Various high voltage overhead power lines, most notably the Hermosa–Duhat–Balintawak transmission line of National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) from Smart Connect Interchange to San Fernando Exit, utilize the significant portion of the expressway route as the densely populated areas hinder acquisition of dedicated right of way.

Balintawak-Balagtas

Southbound lane of NLEx through the barangays of Lawang Bato and Lingunan, Valenzuela.

The expressway starts at Balintawak Interchange as a physical continuation of Bonifacio Avenue. A few meters after the cloverleaf is Quirino Highway, with a northbound left exit ascending into a flyover to the northeast. Past this exit, Reparo Road parallels the expressway from Novaliches Exit to Eternal Gardens Memorial Park. The road approaches the Balintawak toll plaza, widening to 17 lanes only serving northbound traffic. The offices of NLEX Corporation is located near the toll plaza. A new toll plaza, opened in 2017, is built between the northbound and southbound lanes, servicing Class 1 vehicles (cars, jeepneys and other light vehicles),

The expressway reverts to four lanes, continues northward, crossing Tullahan River through the Tullahan Bridge, intersects with General T. De Leon Street, and passes the Smart Connect Interchange. It then passes through industrial areas and businesses within Valenzuela. The expressway's East Service Road starts paralleling the expressway before Paso de Blas exit. The road continues on a straight route, with a Caltex service area located near the Dulalia overpass, until it enters Bulacan.

Northbound lane of NLEx near Barangay Taal, Bocaue

It crosses Meycauayan River and after a few meters is the Meycauayan Exit to serve its town proper. Another service road named St. Francis Service Road runs beside the expressway's southbound lanes. It passes through residential areas and institutions within the municipality, intersects with Lias Road, and continues on a straight alignment. On Marilao, there is a Petron service area and after it are the Marilao River crossing and Marilao exit. It enters Bocaue after Marilao Exit, where Ciudad de Victoria and the Philippine Arena lies to the east. The road turns eastward to serve Bocaue toll plaza, where the southbound lanes widens to 22 lanes with 4 from a parallel road making a grand total of 26 lanes, and on the middle of it is a newly built toll plaza and road. It turns westward, passes through Bocaue Exit, Santa Maria River, and Taal Bridge, and continues on a straight alignment until Balagtas Interchange. Before it are the Petron for southbound and Shell for northbound traffic. Past the Shell service area is the Tabang Spur Road and Balagtas Interchange which was opened on March 20, 2012. This is the former terminus of the original segment of the expressway from 1967 to 1976 before it is extended to Dau.

Balagtas-San Fernando

A typical section of NLEX near the Santa Rita interchange in Guiguinto. Street lights can be seen on the middle of a road from where a grass median was located before the widening project in 2016.

The expressway narrows to three lanes per direction past Tabang Spur Road. It continues on a straight route, traversing paddy fields on the outskirts of Guiguinto, Malolos, and Pulilan. AH26 leaves NLEX at Santa Rita Exit, where it follows Cagayan Valley Road to Baliuag and Cabanatuan.

Candaba Viaduct

A few meters after Pulilan Exit is the Candaba Viaduct (officially known as Pulilan-Apalit Bridge). The bridge traverses rice paddies and swampland in the municipalities of Pulilan, Calumpit, Bulacan and Apalit, Pampanga, and crosses Pampanga River before the viaduct ends. The expressway continues again on a straight alignment, passing through Apalit, San Simon, and San Fernando, and crosses Abacan and San Fernando rivers. At the vicinity of San Fernando Exit are two major malls, SM City Pampanga and Robinsons Starmills Pampanga.

San Fernando-Sta.Ines

The 4-lane segment of NLEX in Pampanga

An overpass at the SCTEX Exit, before the 2016 expansion

After San Fernando Exit, the expressway narrows into two lanes, both northbound and southbound. It continues as a straight roadway, passing through the rural areas of Mexico, crossing Abacan and Quitangil rivers, and traversing the eastern parts of Angeles and Mabalacat. NLEX connects with Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway via Clark Spur Road before the main line terminates at Santa Ines Interchange, with a toll plaza serving the exit. The segment between SCTEX and Santa Ines Exit used to be a two-lane road but has since widened into four lanes with a grass median.

Tabang Spur Road

Tabang Spur Road

Tabang Spur Road branches off the NLEX mainline at Tabang Exit and terminates at a partial cloverleaf interchange with MacArthur Highway and Cagayan Valley Road at Guiguinto Exit. The entire spur is located in Guiguinto, and carried the final leg of NLEX (then the North Diversion Road) until the present route is extended to Angeles. It spurs off the main line at Tabang Exit, crosses the abandoned Philippine National Railways line to Cabanatuan, and ends at the interchange with MacArthur Highway and Cagayan Valley Road, with a toll plaza hosting operations and management offices of Tollways Management Corporation.

NLEX Connect

Segments 8.1 and 9

Segment 8.1 (Mindanao Avenue Link) of the NLEx looking west towards Smart Connect Interchange.

Segment 8.1 (Mindanao Avenue Link) starts at the Smart Connect Interchange with the NLEX mainline, picking-up from where Segment 9 (Karuhatan Link) left off. On the other hand, Segment 9 starts after Segment 10 crosses MacArthur Highway on Valenzuela. Segment 8.1 returns to ground level past the interchange. It would then pass Barangay Que Grande in Valenzuela, and terminates at the Mindanao Avenue toll plaza, where it physically ends at Mindanao Avenue near the city boundary with Quezon City.

Harbor Link

NLEX Harbor Link, also named NLEX Segment 10, is a fully elevated expressway which connects with the Karuhatan Link (Segment 9) at Valenzuela, and terminates at C-3 Road in Caloocan. Most of the road utilizes the existing railway right of way through Caloocan, Malabon and Valenzuela, with the road rising as high as 19 meters (62 ft) to provide necessary clearance for the elevated Manila–Clark Railway of the Philippine National Railways (PNR).

NLEX Harbor Link begins at Karuhatan exit with Segment 9. The section near the northern terminus traverses an industrial and residential area, which necessitated the demolition of numerous houses, buildings, and warehouses. It soon follows the railway right-of-way where it rises up to provide necessary ground clearance for the viaduct carrying the future Manila–Clark Railway. Past Samson Road and the PNR rolling stock shops in Caloocan, NLEX Harbor Link shifts to the right of the railway right of way, which also required demolition of numerous houses and buildings, including a local wet market. The expressway ends at an interchange with C-3 Road, with completed stubs to connect with the C-3 spur alignment which is under construction, and the future NLEX-SLEX Connector Road.

Future

Segment 8.2

The NLEx Segment 8.2 will be a 7.85 kilometres (4.88 mi) segment that will connect NLEx segment 8.1 to C-5 Road and Commonwealth Avenue. The planned segment will at first run parallel to Republic Avenue before making a southward turn to Luzon Avenue after which it will then connect to Commonwealth Avenue. The segment will include two interchanges in Mindanao and Regalado Avenues, a roundabout connection at Congressional Avenue, and three local road crossings at Quirino Highway, Sauyo Road, and Chestnut Avenue.

Segment 10.1 (NLEX-Harbor Link)

Under-construction NLEX Segment 10 in Sangandaan, Caloocan

The NLEX Segment 10 is a four lane, 5.65 kilometres (3.51 mi) elevated expressway that runs from the NLEX Karuhatan Link to C-3 road. This segment now opened to traffic in March 1, 2019 and the C3–R10 section is partially opened as of February 21, 2020 leading to the Dagat-dagatan exit ramp. It will complete on June 15, 2020

Segment 11/NLEX-SLEX Connector

Plans for a construction of an elevated road to connect North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) has been bared long before the construction of Segment 10.1.

The government has reportedly accepted an unsolicited proposal from Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corporation (MPTDC) to build the 13.24 kilometres (8.23 mi) road. MPTDC is a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), which runs NLEX.

Known as the Connector Road project, the elevated expressway will have run over the Philippine National Railways tracks until terminating to the Skyway Stage 3 Interchange.

It will be connected in the north to Segment 10, constructed through the cities of Caloocan and Valenzuela. In the south, it will be linked to the Skyway Stage 3 near PUP in Sta. Mesa. Once completed, the Connector Road will have four entry and exit points: C-3 Road in Caloocan, España, Quirino Avenue in Manila and terminating through the Paco-Sta. Mesa Road in Santa Mesa, Manila. This project is targeted open to traffic on February 2022.

Construction of the project is estimated to cost ₱17 billion, but as an "all-elevated" or completely grade-separated structure, right-of-way acquisition shall be reduced to an estimated cost of only ₱2.41 billion. It broke ground on February 28, at the same time Segment 10.1 was inaugurated and opened to traffic, officially indicating that the NLEX Karuhatan Link and Segment 10 are mostly complete.

NLEX Phase 3

This consists of three segments with an approximate length of 58 km from San Simon, Pampanga to Dinalupihan, Bataan connecting to Segment 7 in Subic Freeport.

Technical specifications

• Name: North Luzon Expressway
• Concession holder: NLEX Corporation
• Operator: Tollways Management Corporation
• Length: 84 km
• Concession starting date: February 10, 2005
• Concession ending date: December 31, 2037
• Highway exits: 15
• Lanes: 8 lanes (4 lanes), 6 lanes (3 lanes), and 4 lanes (2 lanes)
• Toll plazas: 6
• Rest and Service Areas: 8
• Minimum Height Clearance on Underpasses: 4.27 m (14')

Tolls

Bocaue Toll Plaza in Bulacan

The tollway has two sections: an open section and a closed section. The open section (within Metro Manila) charges a flat toll based on vehicle class and is employed to reduce the number of toll barriers (and associated bottlenecks) within the metropolis. The closed section is distance-based, charging based on the class of vehicle and distance traveled. When the expressway was modernized, an electronic toll collection system was set up for Class 1 vehicles while prepaid magnetic cards were assigned to Class 2 and 3 vehicles to speed up transactions at toll booths. These have since been replaced by a unified ETC system operated by Easytrip. Also, with the government's thrust towards toll road interoperability, Autosweep of the SMC Corporation which operates SLEX, Skyway, STAR, NAIAX, and TPLEX has been accepted as a mode of payment in NLEX since March 2018. As of October 1, 2011, all tolls (as shown below) include the 12% Value-Added Tax (VAT). With the movement of the northernmost toll gate to Sta. Ines, the NLEX and SCTEX toll systems have been merged into one combined system, with tolls for all enclosed destinations listed.

Class	Open system (Balintawak-Marilao)	Closed system (Bocaue-Sta.Ines/SCTEX)
Class 1 (cars, motorcycles, SUVs, jeepneys)	₱54	₱2.66/km
Class 2 (buses, light trucks)	₱136	₱6.66/km
Class 3 (heavy trucks)	₱164	₱8.00/km

Features

NLEX rumble strips approaching Balintawak Toll Barrier

• Street lights (Balintawak-San Fernando)
• Variable message signs
• Rumble strips
• Emergency telephones (every 2 km in the Balintawak-Burol segment, every 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) in the Burol-Sta. Ines segment)
• Runaway truck ramp
• Rest and service areas (privately owned and operated)
• Closed-circuit television
• Guard rails
• Impact attenuators
• Solid wall fence
• Lighting arrestors
• Car density sensors underneath road surface
• Hidden speed guns
• Electronic toll payment (class 1), prepaid account cards (class 2/3)
• Much of the expressway has been built to U.S. Interstate highway standards, featuring eight lanes through Metro Manila. As it enters the more rural area north of Manila, the expressway narrows to 6 and then 4 lanes with a grass median to separate the two carriageways.
  • All signage is in English, and are nearly identical to the "big green signs" (BGS) on American expressway, including white lettering on a green background, with the exit tab in the upper-right corner (distance signs even employ a font similar—if not identical—to the Caltrans font; all other signs employ a different font).
  • Like expressways in most American states, the NLEx uses a distance-based sequencing for numbering interchanges. Being a metric country, though, the system is kilometer-log rather than mile-log—exits numbered according to the distance (in kilometers) from Rizal Park in Manila, which is designated as "Kilometer Zero" in Luzon.

Technical information

Lanes

NLEX in San Simon, after the 2016 expansion project

The NLEX has 8 lanes, 4 lanes in both directions from the Balintawak to Burol segment, 6 lanes with 3 lanes for both directions on the Burol to San Fernando segment and 4 lanes with 2 lanes for both directions on the Tabang Spur and San Fernando to Santa Ines segment. Before the lane expansion project of 2016, there was even a part of the NLEX which consists of only 2 lanes, one for each direction. This segment is located after passing through the SCTEx Exit (Northbound) but has since been expanded into four lanes.

Speed limit

100 km/h for cars and jeepneys, 80 km/h for trucks and buses, and 60 km/h is the minimum for all classes of vehicles. Speed limits are strictly enforced via CCTV cameras and speed guns, and speeders are usually identified as soon as they hit the tollbooth.

Major upgrade

San Fernando Toll Plaza in Pampanga, before the 2005 rehabilitation

The upgrade consisted of rebuilding of roads and building new toll plazas. Launched in the beginning of 2003 and completed in February 2005, the roadway now has modern features explained above.

Drainage enhancement program

The entire stretch of the expressway underwent another rehabilitation regarding its drainage systems. The expressway is known to be flooded during the rainy season and the goal of the project is to fix the drainage systems within the road to prevent flooding. Within this period, certain lanes of the road were closed to the traffic. This in turn caused massive traffic jams along the road and the speed limit on the construction sites were reduced from 80/100 km/h to 60 km/h.

The program started on 12 February 2007 and finished on 7 October 2007.

Shareholder companies

• Philippine National Construction Corporation
• Metro Pacific Investments Corporation
• Leighton Asia Limited
• Egis Projects S.A of France

Services

Emergency phones and parking bays

Emergency telephone boxes are located throughout the whole length of the expressway. Parking bays (lay-bys) are also placed on regular intervals on the expressway, for use in emergency situations.

Service areas

North Luzon Expressway has 7 service areas, mostly located on the closed toll section north of Bocaue. Each service station hosts a gas station, restaurants and a convenience store, as well as ATMs and restrooms, with the exception of Petron in Valenzuela, which only has a Petron gas station, San Mig Food Ave convenience store, and car repair and lubrication services.

Exits

A toll barrier of the Santa Rita Exit.

Exit numbers are based on kilometer post. Exits begin at 9 because the NLEx is a logical continuation of Andres Bonifacio Avenue. Rizal Park is designated as Kilometer Zero.

North Luzon Tollway/NLEX Main

Region	Province	City/Municipality	km	mi	Exit	Name	Destinations	Notes
Metro Manila	Quezon City		9	5.6		Balintawak Cloverleaf	N1 / AH 26 (26) (EDSA) – Cubao, Monumento, Manila	South end of AH26 concurrency. Southern terminus. Continues south as .
			9	5.6		Novaliches	N127 (Quirino Highway) – Novaliches	Northbound exit and southbound entrance.
	Caloocan		10	6.2			Skyway	Northbound entrance and southbound exit. Future northern terminus of Skyway Stage 3 under construction.
			10	6.2		Libis Baesa	Libis Baesa, DLSAU	Southbound exit only.
			10	6.2	Manila North Expressway: Balintawak toll plaza (1968–2005. Demolished.)
			10	6.2	Balintawak toll plaza A (electronic toll collection, cash payments. Northbound only)
			10	6.2	Balintawak toll plaza B (electronic toll collection, cash payments. Northbound only.)
	Valenzuela		11	6.8	11	Smart Connect Interchange	E5 (NLEX Connect) – Mindanao Avenue, Port of Manila	Cloverleaf interchange
			14	8.7		Mapulang Lupa	Mapulang Lupa, Paso de Blas, Parada	Northbound exit only. Demolished.
			15	9.3	15	Paso de Blas (Valenzuela)	N118 (Paso de Blas Road) – Maysan, Novaliches, VGC	Diamond interchange.
			16	9.9	Petron (Valenzuela NLEX southbound) service area
			17	11	17	Lawang Bato	Lawang Bato, Punturin	Northbound entry and exit only Future for Canumay Exit.
			17	11	17	Lingunan	Lingunan, Canumay, Lawang Bato	Southbound exit only.
Central Luzon	Bulacan	Meycauayan	19	12	19	Libtong	Libtong	Northbound exit only.
			20	12	20	Meycauayan	N117 (Malhacan Road, Iba Road) – Meycauayan	Folded diamond interchange
			21	13	21	Pandayan	Pandayan	Southbound exit only.
		Marilao	23	14	23	Marilao (closed)	Marilao	Northbound Exit only. Replaced by a new exit with the same name a few meters north.
			23	14	23	Marilao	Marilao	Folded diamond / Four ramp parclo interchange.
			24	15		NLEX-C6 Interchange		Links to the proposed C6 expressway. Interchange type not yet known.
		Bocaue	26	16	26	Ciudad de Victoria	Bocaue, Santa Maria	Partially opened. Links to the Ciudad de Victoria and alternate route to Bocaue and Sta. Maria. Additional roads leading to interchange under construction.
			26	16		Ciudad de Victoria		Northbound exit only. Replaced by a proper northbound-southbound exit.
						Bocaue Bypass		Southbound entry only. Under construction.
			28	17	Bocaue toll plaza B (electronic toll collection, cash payments. Southbound only). North end of barrier toll system. Start of closed road toll system.
			28	17	Bocaue toll plaza A (electronic toll collection, cash payments. Southbound only). North end of barrier toll system. Start of closed road toll system.
			28	17	27	Bocaue	Bocaue, Santa Maria	Folded diamond interchange
			27	17	27	Tambubong	Taal, Tambubong (Bocaue), Santa Maria	No southbound exit ramp. Opened as of March 13, 2020.
			30	19	Petron (Bocaue NLEX southbound)
		Balagtas	30	19		Balagtas-NFEx Interchange		Unopened Interchange. Construction temporarily stopped in 2011 due to the delays in developing the site of the project.
			31	19	Shell (Balagtas NLEX northbound)
			32	20	32	Tabang	N1 / N2 (MacArthur Highway) – Tabang, Guiguinto, Malolos	Half-Y interchange. Northbound exit and southbound entrance.
			33	21	34	Balagtas	Plaridel Bypass Road — Balagtas, Bustos, San Rafael	Half-Y interchange. Northbound entry/exit and southbound entrance. Southbound exit ramp under construction.
		Guiguinto	36	22		NLEx-NLEEx Interchange		Links to the proposed provincial spur road of North Luzon East Expressway. Interchange type not yet known
			37	23	Shell of Asia (northbound) service area
			38	24	38	Santa Rita	N1 / AH 26 (26) (Cagayan Valley Road) – Plaridel, Baliuag, Cabanatuan	Folded diamond interchange. North end of AH26 concurrency.
		Pulilan	45	28	45	Pulilan	N115 (Pulilan Regional Road) – Pulilan, Calumpit, Baliuag, Malolos	Diamond interchange. Serves as access point for southbound motorists to Baliuag and Malolos.
	Bulacan – Pampanga boundary	Pulilan – Apalit boundary			Candaba Viaduct
	Pampanga	Apalit	55	34	Total (Apalit NLEX northbound) service area
		San Simon	56	35	56	San Simon	San Simon, Santo Tomas	Diamond interchange
		San Fernando	62	39	Caltex (San Fernando NLEX southbound) service area.
			65	40	65	San Fernando	N3 (Jose Abad Santos Avenue) – San Fernando, Olongapo, Mexico, Gapan, Bataan	Half-partial cloverleaf and half-diamond interchange. Access to SM City Pampanga and Sky Ranch Pampanga.
		Mexico	71	44	Petron (Mexico NLEX northbound) service area.
			72	45	72	Mexico	Mexico, Dalisdis (Mexico), Panipuan (San Fernando)	Trumpet interchange.
		Angeles	81	50	81	Angeles (closed)	Angeles, Magalang	Parclo interchange (1984–2005) demolished. Replaced by a current exit few meters north.
			81	50	81	Angeles	Angeles, Magalang	Trumpet interchange access to Marquee Mall.
		Mabalacat	82	51	Dau toll plaza (demolished)
			83	52	83	Dau	N215 (Dau Access Road) – Dau, Mabalacat	Trumpet interchange
			85	53	85	SCTEX	E1 – Clark Airport, Tarlac City, Baguio, Subic	Half T/Half Trumpet/Half Y interchange. Route transition from E1 to E1 (spur). Northbound exit and southbound entrance. Future for Trumpet Interchange.
			87	54	Santa Ines toll plaza (electronic toll collection, cash payments. From March 18, 2016.)
			88	55	88	Santa Ines	N213 (Mabalacat—Magalang Road) – Clark Airport, Baguio (via Concepcion), Luisita	Northern end of expressway.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Incomplete access       Invalid type        Tolled       Route transition       Unopened

NLEX Connect

Province	City/Municipality	km	mi	Exit	Name	Destinations	Notes
Valenzuela					Mindanao Avenue	N128 (Mindanao Avenue)	Eastern end of expressway. Link to the future NLEX Segment 8.2.
				Mindanao Avenue toll plaza (electronic toll collection, cash payments. westbound only)
					Smart Connect Interchange	E1 / AH 26 (26) (NLEX Main) – Manila, Baguio	Cloverleaf interchange with collector lanes
					Parada	Captain Cruz Street – Parada, Maysan	Westbound only.
					Gen. T. De Leon	M. De Los Reyes Street – Gen. T. de Leon	Eastbound only.
				Karuhatan toll plaza (electronic toll collection, cash payments. eastbound only)
					Karuhatan	N1 (MacArthur Highway) – Karuhatan	Exit to Karuhatan, Valenzuela City towards MacArthur Highway.
Caloocan					C-3 Road	N130 (C-3 Road)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance.
					Caloocan Interchange	NLEX–SLEX Connector Road	Under construction. Southbound exit only; opened as of February 21, 2020. Shifts to the C3–R10 section of the expressway. Connects with the future NLEX–SLEX Connector Road.
					Malabon	Dagat-Dagatan Avenue	Current west end of expressway. Westbound exit only. Opened as of February 21, 2020.
Navotas					Navotas Interchange	N120 / AH 26 (26) (Radial Road 10) – Navotas	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance.
				Radial Road 10 toll plaza
					Manila North Harbor	N120 / AH 26 (26) (Radial Road 10) – Manila North Harbor	Western terminus. Link to the proposed NLEX–CAVITEX Port Expressway Link.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access       Unopened

Tabang Spur Road

The west end of Tabang Spur Road at Guiguinto Exit

The entire route is located in Guiguinto, Bulacan. 

km	mi	Exit	Name	Destinations	Notes
36	22	36	Guiguinto	N1 / N2 (MacArthur Highway) – Plaridel, Guiguinto, Balagtas	Western terminus & end of expressway. Continues west as N2 (MacArthur Highway).
36	22			St. Francis Street	T-Intersection.
36	22	Shell service station (eastbound only)
36	22	Tabang toll plaza (electronic toll collection, cash payments. westbound and eastbound)
34	21		Tabe	C. Mercado – Tabe	Accessible to westbound motorists only.
32	20	32		E1 / AH 26 (26) (NLEX Main) – Manila	Eastern terminus.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Incomplete access        Tolled

NLEX-SLEX Connector Road

This entire route is under construction.

Province	City/Municipality	km	mi	Exit	Name	Destinations	Notes
Caloocan					Caloocan Interchange	E5 (NLEX Harbor Link)	Northern terminus. Continues north as E5 (NLEX Connect). Also connects with the C3–R10 section of the expressway.
					C-3 Road	N130 (C-3 Road)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance.
Manila				España toll plaza
					España	N170 (España Boulevard) – España station
						Skyway – Balintawak, Alabang	Southern terminus. Future connection with Skyway.
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Unopened

NLEx Segment 8.2

The construction of this route is still pending.

Province	City/Municipality	km	mi	Exit	Name	Destinations	Notes
Valenzuela					Mindanao Avenue	N128 (Mindanao Avenue)	Western terminus. Continues west as E5 (NLEX Segment 8.1).
Quezon City				Regalado toll plaza
					Congressional/Luzon Avenue	N129 (Congressional Avenue, Luzon Avenue)	Eastern terminus. Access to N170 (Commonwealth Avenue).
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Unopened

In popular culture

• The expressway was featured in the music video to the song "Toll Gate" by the band Hale.
• It was also featured in the movie Sa North Diversion Road in 2005, based on Tony Perez's stage play of the same name. It was created by Dennis Marasigan.
• From 6–17 June 2007, On North Diversion Road, the play written by Tony Perez, was performed at The Arts House, Singapore, by young & W!LD, an actor training division of Singapore's W!LD RICE Theatre.

See also

• North Luzon East Expressway
• Central Luzon Link Expressway
• Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway
• Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway
• South Luzon Expressway
• Skyway (Metro Manila)

External links

• Manila North Tollways Corporation
• NLEx-SCTEx Toll Table Rates