NLEX-SCTEX tollway integration completed

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North Luzon Expressway photo courtesy of www.mntc.com/nlex/
North Luzon Expressway photo courtesy of www.mntc.com/nlex/
North Luzon Expressway photo courtesy of www.mntc.com/nlex/

Motorists heading north can expect a faster and easier road trip this Holy Week, as the integration of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) is finished, cutting down the number of toll stops travelers have to pass through.

Operations of the combined toll systems of NLEX and SCTEX are also now in full swing ahead of the expected 10% to 15% increase in traffic volume during the Holy Week, operator Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) said.

“Seamless and faster travel can now be experienced at NLEX and SCTEX as toll collection stops are lessened and additional payment options are introduced at the SCTEX,” MNTC president Rodrigo Franco said in a statement.

The P650-million integration project, which merges the NLEX and SCTEX toll collection systems into one, reduces toll collection stops to two instead of five from Balintawak to Subic and back and instead of four from Balintawak to Tarlac and back.

“The integration speeds up the queues on toll plazas. Motorists who will drive from Manila to Subic will just have to stop for toll payments at Balintawak and Subic or Tarlac. This will save them up to 40 minutes of travel time,” Franco explained.

Senate President Franklin Drilon, who pushed for the integration of the two toll systems, said the move “will surely create a faster and more efficient traveling experience in the NLEX and SCTEX especially this coming Holy Week.”

“This integration of our tollways will be of huge help to our countrymen as more efficient movement of people means less time on the road and more time for them to spend with their loved ones,” Drilon said.

“The integration will also mean faster and more efficient delivery of goods and services through the seamless flow of traffic in these northern highways,” he added.

For his part, Bases Conversion and Development Authority president and CEO Arnel Paciano Casanova said the integration is a game-changer that will greatly benefit the motorist in terms of faster travel time and convenience.

“It’s the first integration among expressways in the country and we are happy to be part of it and set the bar for others to replicate for the benefit of the public,” Casanova said.

To unify the systems of NLEX and SCTEX, the MNTC constructed seven new toll plazas. These include toll plazas in Tarlac, Subic-Tipo, Sta. Ines, and along the northbound and southbound sides of Dau and Mabiga.

Motorists will no longer need to make stops at the NLEX Dau and SCTEX Mabalacat barriers, as these have been converted into pass-through lanes. By April, these barriers will be remove altogether. The Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX) Toll Plaza will also be dismantled to better facilitate the consolidation of the two expressways.

The integrated toll collection process features a common transit ticket system for both the NLEX’s and SCTEX’s closed systems. A single official receipt will be issued to motorists, showing a breakdown of the NLEX and the SCTEX portions of their trips.

With the integration, Franco said motorists will now have other payment options when traveling on SCTEX since, like NLEX, it now features electronic toll collection through Easytrip.

On top of the NLEX-SCTEX integration, MNTC will also implement the “Safe Trip Mo Sagot Ko” (SMSK) campaign along NLEX, SCTEX, and CAVITEX to enhance traffic management and toll collection services during the Holy Week.

From March 18 to March 28, additional patrol vehicles and enforcers will be fielded to immediately respond to distressed motorists. Ambulant toll tellers equipped with portable toll collection gadgets will be deployed ,and additional traffic informatory signs will be installed in strategic areas. Road works will also be suspended to aid traffic flow.

Between March 23 and March 27, MNTC and its partners will continue to provide free services such as free calls and Wi-Fi, free basic mechanic services, and first aid treatments in designated locations along NLEX, SCTEX, and CAVITEX. Free towing services to the nearest exit will be offered to Class 1 vehicles from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Free drinking water and sunblock will be available at SMSK Motorist Camps in NLEX Dau rest bay northbound, SCTEX Concepcion northbound, Pitabunan southbound and Floridablanca rest bay, and CAVITEX Parañaque and Kawit toll plazas.

With these two programs in place, MNTC said there will be time and fuel savings for the 200,000 vehicles that use the NLEX and the over 30,000 vehicles that ply the SCTEX daily.

“Beyond the Lenten season, we are hoping we can do our part to help lessen the travel time of the motorists who ply our expressways daily,” Franco stated.

“Less time on the road means more time for productive work, or more quality time for the family,” he added.