NLEX putting up additional lane at San Fernando interchange

MANILA, Philippines — NLEX Corp., a unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), is expanding the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) by building an additional lane at the San Fernando interchange to cater to the heavy volume of traffic during rush hour in Pampanga.

In a statement yesterday, NLEX Corp. said the expansion project would widen the 336-meter northbound exit ramp heading toward Pampanga’s capital city San Fernando, and increase the number of deceleration lanes to two.

It said the additional lane, which is intended to address the heavy volume of vehicles during rush hour, would be completed in March.

Motorists and commuters going to San Fernando City from Bulacan and Manila are expected to benefit from the expansion project.

“This project is part of our company’s pursuit of improving the traffic flow in and out of the expressway,” NLEX Corp. president and chief executive officer Rodrigo Franco said.

The San Fernando interchange has been one of the busiest interchanges on the NLEX given its proximity to business or commercial centers, and the access it offers to other provinces in the north such as Nueva Ecija, Bataan, and Zambales.

To ensure safety and convenient travel while the expansion project is being undertaken, NLEX Corp. has put in place a traffic management plan around the work area.

As part of the traffic management plan, NLEX Corp. has deployed personnel to keep traffic moving smoothly, and put up road signs to guide motorists.

Last year, NLEX Corp. enhanced the capacity of the San Fernando interchange as it constructed two new bridges crossing the NLEX function as separate carriageways and by widening the interchange ramps to four lanes in each direction.

NLEX Corp. also removed the east and west roundabouts along Jose Abad Santos Ave. to install automated traffic signals.

NLEX Corp. intends to spend P19 billion for tollway projects to address the congestion on Metro Manila’s roads.

Franco said a large part of the capex would be used for urban portions of the NLEX such as the Harbor Link Segment 10 (including the R10 Section in Dagat-Dagatan, Navotas City) and the NLEX-South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Connector Road project.