MPTC braces for Holy Week traffic jam

MANILA, Philippines — The Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) will implement measures to manage the expected surge in the volume of vehicles along expressways during Holy Week.

A “blockbuster week for travel” is expected as many people troop to the provinces, MPTC president and chief executive officer Rodrigo Franco told a press briefing yesterday.

“With the easing of travel restrictions, there’s a lot more outdoor activity for the general public. As we return to some normalcy as compared to recent years, we have anticipated this increase in volume by fielding additional personnel and offering special roadside services,” Franco said.

The MPTC is implementing its motorist assistance program ”Safe Trip Mo Sagot Ko” from April 8 to 18.

Included in the program is the deployment of additional patrol crews, traffic marshals, security teams and toll plaza personnel to ensure the safety of motorists and provide them immediate assistance.

Emergency medical services and incident response teams will be augmented and stationed in strategic areas on expressways.

West Dionisio, North Luzon Expressway Corp. vice president for operations, said the volume of traffic is expected to increase by up to 15 percent along NLEX, five to seven percent along the Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) and around 10 percent on the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX).

Average daily traffic on NLEX stands at about 410,000, 28,000 on CALAX and 14,000 on C5 Link.

“Last year, we were still quite lower by around 20 percent. This number now is a little more than the 2019 level,” NLEX president and general manager Luigi Bautista said. – Ramon Efren Lazaro