The Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), the holding company of North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) has stepped-up its service capacity for more travel convenience to over 300k motorists expected to pass in the said expressways as it enhance the traffic management plans as well as the provincial government of Bulacan this coming Holy Week as they launched this year’s “2019 Safe Trip Mo Sagot Ko” (SMSK) held at Luxent Hotel in Quezon City on Thursday.
SMSK Program NLEX Vice President for Technology Glenn Campos said that motorists through SMSK-Motorist Assistance Program will anticipate comfort and safe travel in all these expressways by boosting its service capacity including enhancement of traffic management and toll collection services to manage the 10 percent surge in traffic during the Holy Week that will provide more convenient travel to the public.
The toll way company during the SMSK launching bares lined up number of capacity expansion projects such as construction of additional lanes, bridges and toll plazas.
One of the improvements this year that will benefit the province of Bulacan are the road network expansion project along the NLEX connecting to the national roads undertaken by the NLEX Corp. and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
To help ease the traffic congestion in two towns in Bulacan, new entry ramps from Balagtas Interchange to the NLEX northbound and from Gov. Halili Avenue to NLEX Bocaue southbound toll plaza which already started constructing.
An alternative route for motorists bound to Pandi town and nearby towns also in Bulacan will be built in Barangay Tambubong in Bocaue, the new Tambubong Interchange with a southbound exit toll plaza and northbound entry and exit toll plazas.
Other expansion projects is the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 C3-R10 Section, the 2.6-km elevated expressway that will further connect NLEX to the port area will traverse the Caloocan Interchange in C3 to R10 in Navotas City which expected to be finished by December this year.
It will also seen to boost transport logistics as cargo trucks will have direct access from the port area to the provinces in the North and vice versa via the NLEX.
Now on its 10th year, SMSK will continue to cover not only on Holy Week, all Saints Day, Christmas and New Year holidays but also the forthcoming long weekend specifically the National Hereo’s Day.
This Holy Week, around 700 tellers and patrol officers will be deployed at the NLEX-SCTEX.
Additional patrol and incident response teams will be deployed in critical areas to immediately assist motorists, Luigi Bautista, President and Gen. Manager of NLEX Corp. said.
Extended working hours will adopt from April 15-22 by the NLEX-SCTEX traffic management teams to closely monitor and manage the expected high volume of vehicles in Balintawak, Mindanao Avenue, Bocaue, Tarlac, San Miguel and Tipo toll plazas.
He said that during peak periods of April 17 to 22, the said toll plazas will increase toll collections points as much as 50 percent.
NLEX Project Management Vice President Nemesio Castillo, also announced that ongoing road works at the NLEX, SCTEX and CAVITEX will be suspended beginning on Friday until April 22 unless safety repairs are required.
Meanwhile in Bulacan, Governor Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado has directed his Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) head Liz Mungcal to alert all concerned government agencies under the Oplan Summer Vacation (SUMVAC) particularly PNP, BFP, LGUs and traffic volunteers to assist and guide motorists and assure their safety this Holy Week.