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The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) approved an increase in toll rates on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) following the completion and opening of the 2.6-kilometer-highway Harbor Link project in June, NLEx Corp. announced on Saturday. .
The P7 billion NLEX Harbor Link project is an elevated section of the turnpike between the new Caloocan Interchange at C3 Road / 5th Avenue and the new Navotas Interchange along R-10 / Mel Lopez Boulevard.
In a statement, NLEx Corp. said that TRB approved a toll rate adjustment of P4.00 in the open system and P0.06 per kilometer in the closed system.
The toll rate increase will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on November 25, 2020.
“While regulatory approvals could have been implemented earlier this year, the increase has been deferred in consideration of the adverse economic impact of blocking the COVID-19 pandemic,” said NLEx Corp.
The company explained that in the open system a flat fee is charged per entry, which includes Ciudad Quezón, Ciudad Caloocan, Ciudad Valenzuela, Ciudad Malabon, Ciudad Navotas, Ciudad Meycauayan and Marilao, Bulacan.
“Under the new toll rate matrix, drivers traveling anywhere within the open system will pay an additional P4.00 for Class 1 vehicles (regular cars and SUVs), Class 2 vehicles (buses and small trucks) will pay P10. 00 additional, and Class 3 vehicles will pay additional P1.00, ”said NLEx Corp.
For trips from one end to the other, vehicles traveling from Metro Manila to the city of Mabalacat in Pampanga will have to pay an additional toll of P9.00, P20.00 and P25.00 per class.
NLEx Corp. said that since Harbor Link’s opening to passenger traffic on June 15, the new elevated highway has helped mitigate worsening traffic conditions and provided an alternative route for currently impacted commuters and truckers. through traffic choke points along EDSA, A. Bonifacio and Avenida Rizal in Manila.
Container freight trucks, especially those that carry essential goods like medical equipment and supplies, now enjoy 24/7 access and unhindered deliveries from Manila ports as there is no trucking ban throughout NLEX, said.
An average of 30,100 vehicles per day, mostly from the logistics industry, currently use the new route and enjoy the improved travel time provided by NLEX Harbor Link.
Traffic reports also showed that around 7,200 vehicles were diverted to the NLEX Harbor Link from the traditional EDSA Balintawak Cloverleaf bound for Manila, which in turn eased congestion on A. Bonifacio and other clogged streets in Quezon City and Manila.
The new section also reduced travel time along Metro Manila’s east-west corridor between Mindanao Avenue Toll Plaza and Port Area in Manila to just 20 minutes. —Ted Cordero / KG, GMA News
