Recent heavy flooding along the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) has brought to fore the need to pursue an elevated expressway from Bulacan to Balintawak to avoid a repeat of the July 24 submersion and traffic standstill.
Business leader Rene Romero said that there is a need to build a new horizontal road atop the existing lane leading to the entry and exit point to Metro Manila via Balintawak. This, he said, will be helpful not just during flooding but also during heavy volume of motorists brought about by holiday travels and vehicular accidents.
“We wrote to the NLEX Management suggesting improvements, including the extension of Skyway-3 / Balintawak Toll Plaza to the Bocaue Toll Plaza (Elevated Highway),” Romero wrote in one comment on FB.
He is referring to a letter sent by the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (Pamcham) where he is the Director-In-Charge for Infrastructure Development. Skyway, which connects to the Balintawak section of NLEX, is operated by the SMC Infrastructure, a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation.
Romero, also a co-founder of Pamcham, was reacting to the FB post of Atty. Robby Consunji, Trustee of Automobile Association of the Philippines, detailing their 2.5-hour ordeal at Valenzuela section of NLEX at the height of Typhoon Carina.
“It was a horrible experience! The standard of care drowned in the floodwater,” Consunji stated in his FB post on Tuesday.
“Our proposal is driven by the increasing traffic volume, frequent flooding during rainy seasons, and events at the Philippine Arena, which cause significant delays and inconvenience for commuters. Extending the Skyway or building an elevated expressway would offer a crucial alternative route, easing congestion on the ground-level expressway and improving traffic flow, especially during peak hours and major events. An elevated structure would also reduce the impact of flooding, ensuring a reliable, safe, and efficient route for vehicles in adverse weather,” Romero furthered in his comment.
Romero, a known exponent for public order and safety, is credited for his successful advocacies that had led to the establishment of many infrastructure that are beneficial and implemented correctly.
NLEX Corp Comment
Reached for comment, NLEX Corp said that this (elevated expressway) is already part of their masterplan, and the investment proposal is being developed for discussion with the government.
The company noted however, that this will require significant investment and must be carefully studied in order to cushion the impact on the public. They are hopeful that with close collaboration with the government, the project will be approved sooner rather than later, for the economic benefit of the country.
With rising floodwaters on July 24, the MVP Group also opened zipper and counter lanes and crews pumped out floodwaters, making the vital road link to Bulacan, Pampanga and the rest of Central and northern Luzon provinces passable after several hours.
The Ordeal
Consunji, on their way to Lingayen to accompany tourists from San Francisco, California in separate buses on July 24, got stuck at Valenzuela as some portions of NLEX was inundated.
For 2.5 hours in his own car, Consunji moved only for 10 meters. He and hundreds of motorists turned back and exited NLEX via the on-ramp entrance from Mindanao Avenue. The tourists on buses were caught up in a jam and could no longer manuever. They waited for 14 hours before vehicles started to crawl again northwards when floods subsided.
The trip to Lingayen took them 24 hours.
“Atty. Robby Consunji, I can completely relate to your experience traveling on the NLEX, especially from the Balintawak Toll Plaza to the area near the Philippine Arena. As a resident of Pampanga who frequently uses this expressway to travel to and from the NCR, I often encounter slow or stagnant traffic. This issue is particularly frustrating during rush hours, on Mondays and Fridays, or when events are held at the Philippine Arena.
Sometimes, or when there is an accident occured, even on ordinary days, traffic at the Valenzuela toll plaza is problematic,” Romero stated in his comment to Consunji’s post.
