Amid the challenges brought by the ongoing health crisis, the NLEX Corporation said that it has still delivered infrastructure developments, continuing its commitment to alleviate the traffic condition and its level of customer service.

NLEX Corporation President and General Manager J. Luigi Bautista said that the tollway company has finished 12 significant projects in the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) — all intended to improve travel safety and convenience of motorists.

The major projects that were completed last year include the expansion of Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX), upgrade of link slabs at Candaba Viaduct Southbound, and the rehabilitation of Meycauayan and Bigaa bridges in Bulacan.

The SFEX resulted in the creation of 16.4 new lane kilometers, two new bridges, and a new tunnel to accelerate business activities and facilitate the flow of goods and services between the economic zones in Clark and Subic. At the southbound portion of the Candaba Viaduct, more than 10 bridge link slabs were replaced with a pot bearing system to restore the driving comfort of motorists.

Meanwhile, the toll operator said that it has replaced the girders and slabs of the 45-meter Meycauayan bridge and the 64-meter Bigaa bridge to strengthen the structures. The said structures were built in the 1960s.

To ensure sufficient illumination on the road, more than 1,300 roadway lights over the 33-kilometer stretch; from Balagtas, Bulacan to San Fernando City in Pampanga.

“In its regular program to keep the expressway network safe and in good condition, NLEX completed the asphalt overlay and patching works in 109,886-square meter section of the NLEX and 31,600-square meter section of the SCTEX. The Porac bridge in Porac, Pampanga and Gumain bridge in Floridablanca, Pampanga have undergone repairs for safer and smoother driving experience,” NLEX Corporation shared.

Concrete-made drainage covers along the NLEX Harbor Link, Valenzuela northbound, and Balintawak southbound were turned into steel grating.

Further, customer service centers got new backlit signages.

2021 also paved the way for the upgrades in the NLEX Corporation’s toll collection system. The company installed RFID early detection features in 56 toll lanes —increasing the total number of toll lanes with this advanced system to 188.

Moreover, the Balintawak, Mindanao, Karuhatan, Paso de Blas, and Tarlac toll plazas are now equipped with automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) system to match RFID transactions, improve safety, and enforce traffic laws.

NLEX Corp. bares 2022 construction plans

“Continuous improvement will always be our priority. As the company ends 2021 with a positive note, we welcome 2022 with optimism as there are big-ticket projects that we will complete and commence this year,” Bautista noted. 

Among the projects Bautista is referring to are the NLEX C5 Link Mindanao Avenue-Quirino Highway Section, the Candaba Third Viaduct, and NLEX Connector.

To start within the year is the new two-kilometer expressway section between the existing Mindanao Avenue toll plaza and Quirino Highway in Novaliches, Quezon City. This is part of the 11.5-kilometer NLEX C5 Link between Mindanao Avenue, Quirino Highway, Regalado Avenue, Congressional Avenue and C.P. Garcia Avenue in Quezon City aimed at cutting travel time between Mindanao Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue to 10 minutes instead of the usual 45 minutes.

The construction of the third bridge at Candaba Viaduct that will expand its capacity from three lanes to four lanes per direction, enhancing the mobility and safety of motorists is also in the company’s pipeline.

Furthermore, the eight-kilometer NLEX Connector that passes through 5th Avenue/C3 Road, España Blvd. all the way to Sta. Mesa, Manila is targeted to be completed this year. This elevated expressway will provide the supply chain and logistics sector with a more efficient route, bypassing busy roads such as EDSA and C5.

Photos from NLEX Corporation

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