MARILAO, Bulacan—North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) officials assured motorists and officials that the traffic will normalize in no time as they expect to reopen all the four lanes of the northbound lane along Marilao area due to hastened up construction of the Marilao Interchange Bridge that was damaged by an oversized truck last week.
“We expect to reopen all four lanes by the end of March,” NLEx Corp said in a statement on Saturday as the work in the bridge repair is now in 24/7 since it began on Thursday.
Lanes 2 and 3 or the middle sections of the northbound lanes of the NLEx along Marilao area were closed as the works and repair of the damaged bridge began.
A 4.9 meters height truck, which violated the 4.2 meters vertical clearance of the expressway, hit the said interchange bridge around 11 am on Wednesday.
The traffic build-up brought by the lane closure that began at around noon reaching Bocaue and northbound lane in Balintawak have affected the daily motorists traversing the NLEx.
The bridge is located 23.3 km northbound or around 11km from Balintawak Toll Plaza, according to NLEx Corp.
As of Friday afternoon regular weekend exodus of motorists bound to North and Central Luzon, three northbound lanes have already been opened with one zipper lane, making four lanes already operational to ease motorists’s burden, the NLEx also said in the statement.
NLEx Corp. officials said they are exhausting all ease up measures to alleviate the current congestion.
“Furthermore, a zipper lane will be opened in the southbound direction when conditions allow. These measures resulted and will result in the progressive improvement of traffic flow in the area. Barring any unforeseen circumstances,” the firm also said in a statement.
“NLEX Corporation remains committed to providing safe, efficient, and reliable expressway services. We will continue to update the public on further developments and additional measures to ease traffic flow, it also said in the statement.
The Marilao Interchange Bridge was closed for heavy vehicles and trucks as only light vehicles are allowed to pass.
Probe of similar NLEX bridges and infrastructures
Bulacan Vice Gov. Alexis Castro calls on NLEx, including government agencies concerned, to conduct an investigation to ensure the steadiness of similar structures along the expressway.
“The incident opens for us to rethink how safe and secure our expressway infrastructures are and the readiness of NLEx and government agencies concerned in responding to the said incidents,” Castro said in a privilege speech on Thursday.
Castro added that it is vital to determine the laws, rules and regulations being implemented by NLEx on these incidents particularly so, that influx of motorists bound to North and Central Luzon are expected in two weeks in time for the Holy Week.
The regular daily 320,000 motorists along NLEX; 17,000 daily along NLEX Connector and 80,000 daily along Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) are expected to increase from 10-15 beginning the second week of April for the April 13 Palm Sunday until the end of the Holy Week on April 20-21 for the Lenten Season and vacationist’s influx.
