Wednesday, August 04, 2004 New Luzon expressway: Convenient but costly By Chris Navarro
CLARK ECOZONE -- The good news: Motorists who will use the new P18 billion-North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) will experience convenience and worry-free driving because of the modernization done on the road by the Manila North Tollway Corporation (MNTC).
The bad news: A 700 percent increase in the fees being charged by the Philippine National Construction Corporation for the use of the road.
The new toll was increased to P2.50 per kilometer from the old rate of P.33 per kilometer.
Motorists will have to pay P190 in fees for the entire stretch from Sta. Ines to Balintawak and vice versa from the previous P22 for Class 1 vehicles.
Class 2 vehicles would have to pay P500, while Class 3 vehicles will be charged P600.
The rate schedule was raised during a briefing Monday for officers and members of the Metro Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (Maccii) on the status of the road project at the Clark Special Economic Zone.
The briefing, held simultaneously with the chamber's general membership assembly, was conducted by Renato Ticson, marketing director of MNTC, and Toll Management Corporation president Anthony Mabasa.
During the briefing, Ticson said the new rates are "even lower compared to other toll ways, but because of the 84-kilometer stretch of the Nlex, it appears to be higher."
Ticson explained that motorists using the new Nlex will be benefited through "ultra paved roads for maximum safety and comfort and shorter travel time."
"Travel time is cut almost half, and with this, there will be considerable savings in vehicle operations as well as maintenance," Ticson said.
"To give you an example, I left my office in Manila at around 10 a.m. I arrived here in Clark at 11:10 a.m. That is how fast the travel time is, which you could now expect from the new Nlex, which has not even been completed yet," he said.
Ticson said the expressway project is one of the 16 strategic infrastructure projects in Region 3 endorsed by the Regional Development Council. It is designed to be a modern, world-class toll road and intended to create a more favorable business climate for both Central and Northern Luzon, he added.
According to Ticson, the project includes rehabilitation and expansion of existing carriageways, upgrading and construction of interchanges and flyovers, construction of more tollbooths and toll barriers, and installation of fixed operating equipment in all toll plazas.
Ticzon said the rehabilitation, expansion and modernization of the expressway involves re-paving of the existing 337 lanes from Balintawak to Sta. Ines and the construction of additional 98 lanes from Balintawak to Sta. Rita, Bulacan.
The expressway expansion is a joint project being undertaken by MNTC, Egis, Leighton Asia, TMC and PNCC. The project is to be completed by November this year.
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