Toll Regulatory Board seen to approve NLEX toll hike

CLARK, PAMPANGA, Philippines — Motorists can expect higher toll fees in the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) in the near future.

NLEX Corp. president and chief executive officer Rodrigo Franco said the corporation has complied with all requirements regarding the request for a toll hike with the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB).

After the press conference during the inauguration of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) Mabiga Interchange at the Royce Hotel here, Franco told reporters the last toll adjustment of NLEX was made in 2011.

He explained that based on its contract, the firm could apply for toll rates adjustment every two years.

Since the last toll hike, the company has experienced losses of about P6 billion, Franco said.

The TRB is eyeing a gradual increase in toll fees of several expressways in the country.

TRB spokesman Bert Suansing said the board is looking to implement gradual increases in the toll fees of NLEX, the Cavite Expressway (CavitEX) and the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) within a period of two years.

Suansing said the board has not come up with a specific way to implement the increase.

The NLEX Corp. has filed three petitions for toll hike since 2013, Franco explained, adding that they are expecting a rate adjustment of about  11 percent that the TRB could approve.

He said it is up to the TRB to decide on the toll rate adjustment.

The rate adjustments would be used to sustain infrastructure improvement on the expressway, Franco added.

Former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said the SCTEX Mabiga Interchange in Mabalacat, Pampanga has made Clark a world-class facility.

She said Pampanga is trying to accommodate investors through its master plan together with Clark and South Korean companies also interested in investing here.

NLEX Corp. has converted the SCTEX Mabiga into a full diamond interchange by building new access ramps with entry and exit toll plazas. This major expressway redesign is seen to improve road safety on this strategic location where the two expressway systems merge with the local traffic network.

Also, the NLEX Sta. Ines interchange got a boost with the construction of a right-turning exit ramp to Mabalacat-Magalang Road to improve direct access to local roads in Magalang, Pampanga.

In a report, NLEX Corp. said the new SCTEX Mabiga interchange cost P105 million and would provide access between the SCTEX and MacArthur Highway that will eliminate the need to make a U-turn for vehicles bound for SCTEX.

“We expect this to lead to faster delivery of goods and services and enhanced safety for motorists,” said NLEX Corp. information chief Kit Ventura.

The firm said the new exit ramp at the Sta. Ines end of NLEX, also in the jurisdiction of Mabalacat, was also inaugurated yesterday. The project cost about P27 million. 

Ventura said the ramp was expected to enhance traffic flow in the interchange due to the provision of direct access for vehicles bound for Magalang, Pampanga coming from NLEX, thus eliminating traffic conflicts at the interchange. – Ding Cervantes, Catherine Talavera