NLEX Corporation will implement an approved toll increase of up to P4 beginning 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, November 25, 2020.
In a statement, NLEX Corporation parent firm Metro Pacific Investments Corporation said the increase will amount to P4 in the open system and P0.06 per kilometer in the closed system.
The adjustment, which was approved by the Toll Regulatory Board, was supposed to be implemented in early 2020, but was deferred because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
The open system, where a flat rate is charged per entry, includes Quezon City, Caloocan City, Valenzuela City, Malabon City, Navotas City, Meycauayan City and Marilao, Bulacan.
Under the new toll fee matrix, motorists traveling anywhere within the open system will pay an additional P4 for class 1 vehicles (regular cars and SUVs). Class 2 vehicles (buses and small trucks) will pay an additional P10 and class 3 vehicles will pay an additional P11.
For end-to-end travel, vehicles traveling from Metro Manila to Mabalacat City in Pampanga will be charged an additional toll of P9, P20, and P25 per class.
The NLEX Harbor Link elevated section, a 2.6-kilometer stretch between the new Caloocan Interchange at C3 Road/5th Avenue and the new Navotas Interchange along R-10/Mel Lopez Boulevard, was opened last June.
It features the new Caloocan interchange with on and off ramps along Grace Park, the new Malabon Exit with off ramp on Dagat-Dagatan Avenue, and the new Navotas Interchange, thereby expanding the NLEX network in the Camanava area.
Since its operation, the elevated expressway has addressed the worsening traffic conditions and offered an alternative route for commuters and truckers currently affected by traffic choke points along EDSA and A. Bonifacio in Manila.
Cargo trucks, especially those carrying essential goods, now enjoy 24/7 access and unhampered delivery as there is no truck ban along NLEX.
An average of 30,100 vehicles per day, mostly from the logistics industry, currently use the new route.
Traffic reports also showed that around 7,200 vehicles were diverted to the NLEX Harbor Link from the traditional Manila-bound EDSA Balintawak Cloverleaf, which in turn eased congestion in A. Bonifacio and other clogged streets in Quezon City and Manila.
The new section has also reduced commuting time along Metro Manila’s east to west corridor between the Mindanao Avenue Toll Plaza and the Port Area in Manila to just 20 minutes.
Aside from the NLEX Harbor Link, among the projects recently completed in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) include the Balagtas Northbound Entry and Tambobong Interchange.
The tollway company also finished the rehabilitation of Bocaue River Bridge; pavement repairs, and upgrading of roadway lights in parts of the expressways; and drainage enhancements in Valenzuela City and in Balagtas, Bocaue, Meycauayan, and Pulilan. It is also currently undertaking major upgrading works for the five-kilometer Candaba Viaduct. (SunStar Philippines from PR)