MNTC opens new NLEX lanes

MANILA, Philippines - Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC) opened yesterday new lanes at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) Segment 3 to accommodate the surge of travelers during the holiday season.

MNTC president and chief executive officer Rodrigo E. Franco led the opening of the new northbound lanes at the NLEx Segment 3 stretching from Dau to Sta. Ines in Mabacalat, Pampanga.

“This is an early Christmas gift to motorists as this is one of the areas where queues of vehicles usually form particularly during the holiday season,” Franco said.

The former one-by-one lane was widened to become two lanes on both northbound and southbound directions.

This project, which cost P235 million, includes the construction of the northbound Balem Bridge and Quitanguil Bridge.

MNTC said it expects its road widening initiative at the Segment 2 of NLEX to be finished before the end of the year.

With a total project cost of P2.2 billion, the project will expand the two-lane portion between Sta. Rita and San Fernando to three lanes, both northbound and southbound directions.

The company also vowed to cease major road constructions starting Dec. 15 to give way to the rising number of motorists as the holiday season approaches.

MNTC is a unit of the Metro Pacific Investments Corp. It is the builder and concessionaire for NLEX and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.

It is also the designated company for the NLEX-South Luzon Expressway connector road project.

Recently, the company announced its planned merger with Tollways Management Corp. (TMC), with MNTC emerging as the surviving corporation.

This move is expected to help MNTC streamline its processes and have better ability to finance and undertake projects.

TMC is engaged in the operations and maintenance of tollways, its facilities, interchanges and related works, among others.