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Transportation Secretary Vicencio “Vince” Dizon called on the operator of North Luzon Expressway to allocate additional lanes and waive toll at the area affected by the accident at the Marilao Interchange Bridge on March 19
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Dizon said it is only reasonable for NLEX Corp. to waive the toll for motorists passing the northbound (Balintawak to Marilao) side of the expressway while bridge repairs are underway
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A new lane was already opened for the northbound side on March 20, increasing the usable lanes to three, while a zipper lane will be opened in the southbound direction when conditions allow
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NLEX Corp. said it expects to reopen all four lanes by the end of March
Transportation Secretary Vicencio “Vince” Dizon called on the operator of North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to allocate additional lanes and waive toll at the area affected by the accident at the Marilao Interchange Bridge.
NLEX Corp. had to close the middle lanes of NLEX Marilao Interchange Bridge on March 19 after an 18-wheeler truck, which exceeded the vertical clearance, struck the bridge. Two of the bridge girders sustained severe damage from the impact, requiring repairs.
Dizon said it is only reasonable for NLEX Corp. to waive the toll for motorists passing the northbound (Balintawak to Marilao) side of the expressway while bridge repairs are underway.
“Dobleng pasakit naman sa mga motorista kung sisingilin pa sila nang buong toll habang ilang oras silang naiipit sa traffic kahit maikling distansya lang naman ang ibibiyahe nila. Maliit na pakonswelo lang ito sa abalang dinaranas ng mga motorista’t pasahero,” Dizon said in a statement.
(Motorists will suffer twice if they are made to pay for toll while also stuck in traffic. Waiving the toll is a small concession for the inconvenience suffered by motorists and passengers.)
Aside from the toll holiday for the affected NLEX segment, Dizon said it is necessary to allocate additional lanes to immediately address traffic congestion.
In response, NLEX Corp. already opened one additional lane—providing a total of three lanes to allow faster flow of traffic.
The Toll Regulatory Board had already asked NLEX Corp. to explain why it shouldn’t face penalties for allowing a truck with excessive vertical clearance to enter the toll plaza, damaging the bridge.
NLEX Corp. earlier said it has dedicated teams to check if the height of vehicles is over the vertical clearance of bridges along the expressway. The involved truck, however, did not pass the truck lane.
NLEX Corp. had also filed charges of reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property against the driver and the owners of the involved truck.
For its part, the Land Transportation Office immediately issued a show cause order to the truck company and its driver.
Dizon assured the public that DOTr and its attached agencies are working closely with NLEX Corp. to repair the damaged bridge as quickly as possible.
“We are in close coordination with NLEX management and we thank them for their urgent response to the incident and their cooperation to mitigate traffic,” Dizon said.
The transport chief also said repair works for the bridge should be complete in less than two weeks.
In response to Dizon’s call, NLEX Corp. in a separate statement said it “remains fully committed to minimizing inconvenience to motorists and ensuring the swift restoration of normal traffic flow along the section of NLEX affected by the Marilao incident.”
The toll operator said it “acknowledges” Dizon’s statement urging NLEX Corp. to consider some toll relief at the Marilao Segment of NLEX.
“We understand the concerns of the DOTr and our stakeholders about the slower travel along Marilao because of the incident and we have undertaken immediate measures to alleviate congestion,” NLEX Corp. said.
On March 20, NLEX Corp. has completed the installation of vertical steel support on sections beneath the bridge, which impacted lanes 2 and 3 (the middle lanes) following the incident.
To help reduce congestion in the northbound direction, an additional lane was opened on March 20, increasing the total number of usable lanes to three. Furthermore, a zipper lane will be opened in the southbound direction when conditions allow.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, NLEX Corp. said it expects to reopen all four lanes by the end of March.
