MPTC steps up measures vs road crashes

MANILA, Philippines — Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) is stepping up its road safety measures across the toll network to prevent crashes, especially in its northern projects where trucks dominate the lanes.

At the 4th North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Transport Conference, MPTC president and CEO Gilbert Sta. Maria said the company is raising its investments on road safety measures, particularly in NLEX.

Based on MPTC’s monitor, NLEX is heavily used by trucks because of its linkage to some of the busiest corridors in Mega Manila, such as the Port of Manila through NLEX Harbor Link.

Sta. Maria said NLEX, historically, sees an increase in truck traffic leading to December. This is because companies are stocking up on inventory for the retail rush during the Christmas season.

Trucks also traverse NLEX more frequently during the dry season, when the weather is favorable for construction activities. Meanwhile, the tollway observes an additional volume of cars during the travel months of December and April.

Sta. Maria said as traffic increases, exposure worsens, with NLEX recording 7,476 cases of road crashes involving 14,229 vehicles between January 2024 and June 2025.

Broken down, two in three vehicles involved in the road incidents are cars, while 27 percent are trucks and four percent are buses.

As such, Sta. Maria said MPTC, as the parent of NLEX Corp., is investing in road safety projects to keep crash rates flat or lower.

NLEX Corp. is cleaning up waterways in Valenzuela City and Bulacan identified to be the cause of flooding in the tollway during rainy days. Annually, NLEX Corp. also undertakes road repairs to maintain the integrity of structures and bridges.

When the Marilao Bridge was hit by an overheight truck in June, NLEX Corp. completed repair works in just two days. The concessionaire also revived its offer to build a new bridge that would support transport plans in the area.

On top of this, NLEX Corp. in September started rolling out a P200-million project that upgrades the digital and security infrastructure of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.

In spite of this, Sta. Maria reminded drivers and operators, particularly of trucks, to comply with traffic regulations to help MPTC in its push to minimize road crashes in NLEX.