NLEX-SCTEX ready for returning motorists from holiday break

MANILA, Philippines — The NLEX Corp. has assured motorists returning from the holiday break in Northern and Central Luzon that it can properly handle the expected surge in traffic volume at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) today and tomorrow.

The tollway company announced that it activated its “Safe Trip Mo Sagot Ko” motorist assistance program during long weekends and holidays. 

“As the holidays come to a close and usher in the New Year, we want to assure our motorists of fast, safe and comfortable travel through all these preparations in place at the NLEX and SCTEX,” said J. Luigi Bautista, NLEX Corp. president and general manager. 

NLEX management anticipates traffic volume to started building up as early as noon today. 

Patrol crews will remain on heightened alert and will manage the traffic flow, particularly at the ramps in Mabalacat, Pampanga that are the usual choke points from SCTEX going to NLEX as well as at the Bocaue, Mindanao and Balintawak exits.

Likewise, incident response teams are prepared to set up counterflow lanes if necessary to ensure the smooth flow of traffic. 

To speed up transactions at the Tarlac toll plaza entry lanes, tellers would be ready to issue pre-encoded transit tickets to cash-paying motorists instead of the drivers getting the tickets directly from the automatic ticket dispensing machines.

Motorists paying cash are advised to use the rightmost and leftmost lanes of the Tarlac toll plaza since the other lanes are exclusive for electronic toll collection (ETC) subscribers or those using Easytrip/RFID stickers or Easytrip tags. 

At the Bocaue toll plaza, NLEX will open 60 collection points to accelerate customer toll transactions.

Motorists using ETC are encouraged to use the middle lanes of the Bocaue main toll plaza and rightmost lanes of the expansion plaza. 

NLEX Corp. reminds all motorists with Easytrip/RFID sticker and Easytrip tags to ensure they have enough balance on their accounts to avoid inconvenience at the lanes. The tollway company also clarified that RFID lanes are exclusively for vehicles equipped with RFID sticker while the Easytrip lanes are able to accommodate vehicles that have either RFID sticker or Easytrip tags.

Bautista noted that while the company strictly enforces traffic laws and regularly improves road conditions, drivers should also practice road safety by maintaining safe driving distance to avoid accidents.

Motorists are also advised to observe the allowable speed limit inside the expressways for everyone’s safety. NLEX speed teams are deployed at strategic locations to strictly apprehend speeding motorists. The maximum speed for cars is 100 kilometers per hour and 80 kph for trucks and buses, while the minimum speed for all types of vehicles is 60 kph.

Free towing services to the nearest exit will still be available for cars or Class 1 vehicles from 6 a.m. on Saturday until 6 a.m. on Monday, while emergency medical services will be augmented to provide quick motorist assistance.

Motorists may check important traffic advisories through variable message signs and via Facebook (NLEX Corporation) or Twitter (@nlexexpressways). Those with inquiries or other concerns may contact the NLEX-SCTEX hotline at 1-35000 or send a message to NLEX Corp.’s social media accounts.