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All four lanes of North Luzon Expressway Marilao northbound are now open and passable to all vehicles ahead of schedule
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While all lanes have become passable starting March 26, supporting steel poles will remain on the lanes to allow concrete curing of the Marilao Interchange Bridge
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The Department of Transportation thanked NLEX Corp. for opening of all the four lanes of Marilao northbound one week ahead of the original two-week schedule
All four lanes of North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Marilao northbound are now open and passable to all vehicles ahead of schedule, according to tollways operator NLEX Corp.
While all lanes have become passable starting March 26, supporting steel poles will remain on the lanes to allow concrete curing of the Marilao Interchange Bridge, which was damaged on March 19 when hit by an 18-wheeler truck.
“With this development, traffic flow in Marilao Northbound will now improve and normalize in the next few days,” NLEX Corp. said in a statement.
Originally scheduled to be completed in two weeks, the tollway operator said it accelerated repairs, with teams working around the clock and with the expedited delivery of the fabricated steel needed for the repair of the bridge.
The Department of Transportation (DOTr) in a separate statement thanked NLEX Corp. for opening all the lanes of Marilao northbound ahead of the original two-week schedule.
NLEX Corp. had to close the middle lanes of NLEX Marilao Interchange Bridge on March 19 after a truck struck the bridge because it exceeded the vertical clearance. Two of the bridge girders sustained severe damage from the impact, requiring repairs. An additional lane in the northbound direction was opened on March 20 to help reduce congestion.
In response to the call of DOTr, NLEX Corp. also implemented temporary toll relief on the northbound portion of NLEX from Balintawak to Meycauayan starting March 24 until all four lanes of Marilao northbound were reopened.
NLEX Corp. has filed charges of reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property against the driver and owners of the involved truck. NLEX Corp. earlier said the truck did not pass the truck lane, avoiding being checked.
For its part, the Land Transportation Office immediately issued a show cause order to the truck company and its driver.
The Toll Regulatory Board has asked NLEX Corp. to explain why it should not face penalties for allowing a truck with excessive vertical clearance to enter the toll plaza, damaging the bridge.
