The Manila North Tollways Corporation, concessionaire of the North Luzon Expressway and Subic-ClarkTarlac Expressway, assures that traffic and toll collection management plans are in place for the anticipated surge in traffic from May 6 to 10, as people are expected to go to the provinces for the election long weekend.
“It’s all systems go for the rise in traffic volume this long weekend. Our team has always been prepared to assist our motorists and ensure smooth traffic flow,” said MNTC president Rod Franco.
From Friday afternoon of May 6 to Tuesday morning of May 10, NLEX-SCTEX Traffic Operations will be on heightened alert. Additional patrol vehicles and traffic personnel will be deployed at NLEX Balintawak, Mindanao, and Bocaue barriers and SCTEX Tarlac and Tipo toll plazas to manage the volume of vehicles and immediately respond to distressed motorists.
Patrol visibility will be increased specifically at the NLEX road widening area from Sta. Rita to San Fernando. One tow truck each will be dedicated to the road widening areas in Sta.Rita-Pulilan and San Simon-San Fernando for faster clearing of possible traffic incidents.
Mainline road works will likewise be suspended during this period unless safety repair is required. All equipment being used by contractors will not be allowed to park at the median openings and emergency lanes. Road works will resume on Wednesday, May 11.
Starting early Saturday morning of May 7, the Balintawak Toll Plaza will open 24 toll collection points instead of the usual 16, and the Mindanao Toll Plaza will also increase its toll collection points to 10 from 6. Toll collection points in Tarlac and Tipo toll plazas will be doubled during this period.
By Sunday afternoon, the Bocaue Toll Barrier will open 40 toll collection points to accommodate motorists returning to Metro Manila. The set-up will be the same on the late afternoon of Monday until midnight.
Portabooths and portable toll collection gadgets will be used to speed up transactions in the said toll plazas.
To prevent sudden lane changing of motorists going to and coming from fuel stations, traffic cones will be placed at the deceleration and acceleration lanes of all toll service facilities. Median openings near the viaduct will be pre-opened with traffic cones stored in the area to be ready for counter flow in case of traffic buildup at the viaduct area.
Traffic advisories will be relayed to motorists through variable message signs and regular updates on social media. Additional traffic informatory signs will be installed in strategic locations to further guide motorists.
Towing and emergency medical services will also be augmented to provide quick motorist assistance.
“We are hoping that with all these preparations, we will be able to provide our motorists a faster and safer travel experience at NLEX-SCTEX,” Franco said.
