THE North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) Corporation is assuring the motoring public that concerns on legal load limits being raised by motorists and truckers alike are being taken seriously by the management.
The statement comes after 150 Pampanga quarry-based haulers barricaded several NLEx interchanges early Saturday morning, November 7, in protest of the temporary rerouting of 12-wheeler dump trucks while the major rehabilitation of the five-kilometer Candaba Viaduct is ongoing.
In August 2020, NLEx commenced the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the 35-year-old Manila-bound carriageway of the Candaba Viaduct and was compelled to temporarily regulate the entry of perennially overloaded 12-wheeler dump trucks for safety reasons.
Prior to the project’s implementation, the tollway company reached out to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Toll Regulatory Board, Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda’s office and the mayors of San Fernando, San Simon, Apalit in Pampanga, Calumpit, Pulilan, Malolos, and Guiguinto in Bulacan, the affected trucking groups, and the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce to highlight the urgency of repairing the Candaba Viaduct to assure its long-term viability as a vital road link between North and Central Luzon and Metro Manila.
The NLEx also issued public advisories that the reconstruction will require the closure of certain lanes and the implementation of temporary counterflow traffic measures.
To assuage the concerns of the affected quarry-based truckers and haulers, NLEx Corporation said dialogues will continue to demonstrate proper and compliant procedures for loading their trucks.
The NLEx currently implements the load limits provisions of Republic Act (RA) 8794 and the Joint DOTR-DPWH Implementing Rules and Regulations revised in 2012, which sets the maximum load limits for trucks nationwide.
NLEx also continues to implement other road safety rules required under RA 4136 or The Land Transportation and Traffic Code of the Philippines, which provides standard criteria for apprehending unsafe and improper loading. Several communication, education and enforcement programs are ongoing to ensure awareness and compliance of road safety measures by truckers and haulers.
With recent programs, reports show that load limit compliance has increased, indicating that the trucking sector is supporting road safety programs and appreciating the value of promoting the safety of expressway users.