TRB OKs NLEX toll rate hike after Harbor Link completion, effective Nov. 25

The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has approved a toll rate hike at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) following the completion and opening of the toll road’s 2.6-kilometer Harbor Link project in June, NLEx Corp. announced Saturday.

The P7-billion NLEX Harbor Link project is an elevated section of the tollway 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 the TRB approved a P4.00 toll rate adjustment in the open system and P0.06 per kilometer in the closed system.

The toll rate hike will take effect 12:01 a.m. on November 25, 2020.

“While the regulatory approvals could have been implemented earlier this year, the increase has been deferred in consideration of the adverse economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown,” NLEx Corp. said.

The company explained that in the open system a flat rate is charged per entry, which includes Quezon City, Caloocan City, Valenzuela City, Malabon City, Navotas City, Meycauayan City and Marilao, Bulacan.  

“Under the new toll fee matrix, motorists 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 an additional P10.00, and Class 3 vehicles will pay an additional P1.00,” NLEx Corp. said.

For end-to-end travel, vehicles traveling from Metro Manila to Mabalacat City in Pampanga will be charged an additional toll of P9.00, P20.00, and P25.00 per class.

NLEx Corp. said since the Harbor Link’s opening to commuter traffic last June 15, the new elevated expressway has helped mitigate worsening traffic conditions and has offered an alternative route for commuters and truckers, currently affected by traffic choke points along EDSA, A. Bonifacio and Rizal Avenue in Manila.  

Container cargo trucks, especially those carrying essential goods such as medical equipment and supplies, now enjoy 24/7 access and unhampered deliveries from the Ports of Manila as there is no truck ban along NLEX, it said.

An average of 30,100 vehicles per day, mostly from the logistics industry, currently use the new route and enjoy the improved commuting time provided by the NLEX Harbor Link. 

Traffic reports also showed that around 7,200 vehicles were diverted to the NLEX Harbor Link  from the traditional Manila-bound EDSA Balintawak Cloverleaf, which in turn eased congestion on A. Bonifacio and other clogged streets in Quezon City and Manila.

The new section also reduced commuting time along Metro Manila’s east to west corridor between the Mindanao Avenue Toll Plaza and Port Area in Manila to just 20 minutes. —Ted Cordero/KG, GMA News