The Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) unveiled the new Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) Traffic Control Room (TCR) on Wednesday.
The new traffic control room is housed at the SCTEx Toll Operations Center Building in Barangay Dolores, Mabalacat City.
MNTC, concessionaire of the 94-kilometer SCTEx, upgraded the TCR and its systems for P38 million as part of the rehabilitation and modernization projects slated for the expressway since it was turned over to MNTC by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) in 2015.
The SCTEx TCR features a central traffic management system that monitors real-time traffic in key areas of the expressway 24/7, which, in turn, ensures the safety and convenience of motorists. The monitoring includes 15 toll plazas from Tarlac to Tipo.
With 104 closed-circuit television cameras installed in various locations at the SCTEx and 15 monitors mounted inside the TCR, SCTEx patrol officers can respond faster to motorists who may need assistance.
“Part of our commitment to our motorists is to keep a close watch on our expressways because we want to make sure that they are safe and comfortable during their travel,” Rodrigo Franco, president and CEO of the MNTC, said.
“A modernized TCR allows our patrol officers to promptly respond to accidents and other emergencies within 20 minutes,” he added.
Among the enhancement works completed at the SCTEx were the integration of its toll collection system with NLEx, the rehabilitation of 31 toll booths, 10 maxi booths and 12 pantry booths, the installation of 47 lane status indicators and 47 LED floodlights in the toll canopies, the rehabilitation of the Toll Operations Building, and the construction of two additional rest stops in Clark North and Clark South.
MNTC also finished in 2016 the first phase of the SCTEx pavement upgrade worth 387 million, which included the asphalt overlay and road patching of Porac, Pampanga to Concepcion, Tarlac. This year, the company undertakes the second and third phases of the pavement improvement worth P564 million which involve repair from Tipo in Bataan to Floridablanca in Pampanga; Floridablanca to Porac, and Concepcion to La Paz in Tarlac.