NLEX-SCTEX maintenance works rapidly progressing

Consistent with keeping the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) safe and in good condition, the NLEX Corp.’s major maintenance program is in full swing, highlighted by patching works and asphalt overlaying in several parts of the expressway.

Officials of NLEX Corp. have assured motorists that the ongoing maintenance works, to be completed mid-August this year, guarantee smooth driving and highquality road travel.

“The pavement maintenance works, covering 33 kilometers of the entire expressway, is undertaken to maintain a high level of customer experience,” said Romulo Quimbo, NLEX Corp.’s senior vice president for communication and stakeholder management.

Several key sections of the NLEX from Balintawak to Sta. Ines will undergo light patching works, while other areas along the Guiguinto City portion will undergo necessary asphalt overlays.

Also, the stretch from Tabang to the Candaba viaduct is going through concrete removal processes, to be replaced by new layers.

Meanwhile, road patching and asphalt overlay works are also taking place along the stretch of Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX), selected areas of different SCTEX interchanges and the NLEX-SCTEX connection near Mabalacat City.

NLEX Corp completed in 2017 the pavement rehabilitation of the entire length of the SCTEX, vastly improving the quality of the road system and providing comfortable travel for the thousands of motorists plying the SCTEX every day.

‘Worth the wait’

Just like in any other construction, some temporary inconvenience might be experienced by motorists, and NLEX Corp. is “appealing for patience and understanding,” Quimbo said.

“We are doing our best to reduce travel delay and inconvenience while construction is going on,” Quimbo said, adding, “but we assure everyone that this major maintenance program will truly result in smoother and more comfortable travel.”

Meanwhile, motorists who have been accustomed to the speed by which NLEX engineers finish roadworks have expressed support for the construction project, which is after all aimed at enhancing road safety.

A regular user of the NLEX affirmed in social media: “I don’t mind slowing down a bit, so these works can proceed as scheduled.”

Another motorist tweeted: “Just finish the job. We will just wait.”

“Repairs and maintenance like this really need to happen. After all, we don’t want to wait for little damage to become worse,” said one provincial bus line owner.

For the duration of the maintenance works, the NLEX Corp. implements a traffic management plan which includes the minimum lane closure or only one lane closure at any given time. The roadworks will also be done on a staggered basis.

No road repairs will be undertaken during weekends and holidays to assure free flow of traffic, according to the tollway company. Road signs and other warning devices are also installed to guide motorists passing the repair sites.

It will be recalled that the first massive road surface rehabilitation was done from 2003 to 2005, the years leading to the takeover by NLEX Corp. in 2005.

NLEX has become the pacesetter in high quality expressways not only in the Philippines but in some countries in the ASEAN, according to Quimbo.