MALOLOS
CITY—The Tollways Management Corporation (TMC) is bracing for increase in
traffic volume along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) due to holiday rush.
Francisco
Dagohoy, media relations specialist of the TMC, a subsidiary of the Manila
North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) and operator of the NLEX said that in the
past four weeks they observed increase of traffic volume by at least five
percent.
They
estimated that starting Monday, December 23 traffic volume along the NLEX will increase by 20 percent from their daily average.
“Traffic
is expected to build up in the early afternoon until late in the
evening of December 23. On the other hand the heavy volume of vehicles going
back to Manila is seen on the afternoon of January 1 and morning of January 2,”
Dagohoy said in an official statement issued yesterday.
To
address increasing traffic volume, NLEX Toll Operations will beef up its
manpower during the said days.
Ambulant
tellers will be deployed at the Balintawak, Mindanao Avenue and Dau Toll Plazas
to facilitate lane transactions.
Spare
lanes will also be used to shorten queue of vehicles during peak periods. The
Bocaue Toll Plaza will also have ambulant tellers on January 1 and 2 in
anticipation of the heavy volume of vehicles going back to Manila on these
dates.
NLEX
Traffic Operations will also deploy ten stationary patrol vehicles in selected
areas in order to keep the road safe and traffic to flow smoothly.
Motorcycle
riders and roving patrol vehicles will be ready to assist in the Interchanges
in case of traffic build up.
Dagohoy
said traffic is expected to build up at the Bocaue Toll Exit in the last week
of December.
To
manage this, TMC deployed additional manpower in the area beginning December
16.
At
SCTEX, the same level of service can be expected. Traffic build up going to the
provinces is expected at Tarlac Exit, San Miguel Exit and Tipo Exit as early as
December 20, the weekend before Christmas.
Volume
of traffic entering the Mabalacat Toll Plaza will even increase on December 23
as well as December 28 and 29. The
affected toll plazas will be adequately manned to address the influx of
motorists.
Manual
and counter flow lanes will be placed at San Miguel and Tarlac Exit
respectively to accommodate the high volume of traffic while Tipo Toll Plaza
will also have standby manual lanes in the event that the volume of motorist
will increase.
Heavy
volume of Manila bound motorists is expected on the afternoon of December 25
and January 1 and in the early morning of December 26 and January 2 at the
Mabalacat Toll Plaza.
Motorists
can expect sufficient number of personnel and equipment to shorten the queue at
the plaza and maintain the best level of service possible.
Manual
toll booths will be deployed at the said toll plaza to address the high volume
of traffic. SCTEX traffic during the
holidays is expected to increase by as much as 25% from the normal daily
average.
Dagohoy
said motorists can also expect adequate number of patrol crews along the
carriageway and at the toll plazas to assist in during vehicle breakdown and
conduct traffic management.
Ambulances
and tow trucks will be strategically deployed for faster response during
incidents. Also no major maintenance
works will be conducted during the holidays so as not to disrupt the traffic
flow.
Portalets
will also be stationed at Mabalacat Toll Plaza (before the entry), Tarlac Toll
Plaza (after the exit) and two at the Subic bound (Km 21 and 29) portion of the
SCTEX.
Advance
toll fee collection for vehicles going to the Tarlac Pangasinan La Union
Expressway (TPLEX) will be implemented at the Mabalacat Toll Plaza. Thirteen
collection points in the area will be deployed from December 20 to 28. Dino Balabo
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