MPTC beefs up operations for Holy Week, reminds motorists to plan trips

Over 1,500 traffic and toll lane management personnel will be deployed in all Metro Pacific Tollways road networks to ensure that motorists are given assistance as they head to the provinces during Holy Week.  At the same time, MPTC advises motorists to avoid traveling during peak hours for a safer and more convenient expressway experience.

As the annual Holy Week exodus nears, MPTC has intensified its operations as it anticipates a 10% to 15% increase in traffic volume along its high-speed road networks, from an average 350,000 daily travelers in NLEX-SCTEX, 160,000 in the Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX), 16,000 in CAVITEX C5 Link, and 34,000 in Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX).

More than 1,000 NLEX-SCTEX; 500 CAVITEX, CAVITEX C5 Link and CALAX; and 68 CCLEX traffic and toll operations personnel including security and incident response teams will be deployed as early as March 31 to provide immediate assistance and ensure the safety of the public.

Traffic management teams will continue to monitor high-volume plazas such as Balintawak, Mindanao, Bocaue, Tarlac, and Tipo in NLEX-SCTEX; Kawit and Parañaque in CAVITEX; and Biñan, Sta Rosa and Silang East in CALAX.

To help motorists have a comfortable and stress-free trip, MPTC expressways will be placing their operations on ‘high alert’ status and reactivating the “Safe Trip Mo, Sagot Ko (SMSK) ” motorist assistance program from April 5 to 11. SMSK, now on its 14^th year, aims to augment expressway services during holidays for the benefit of motorists. The SMSK program in CAVITEX is being done in partnership with its joint venture partner, Philippine Reclamation Authority through its operator, PEATC.

The Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC) is activating its first motorists assistance program this Holy Week, providing necessary services to ensure smooth travels for users of its 8.9-kilometer Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX).

“We are reminding our motorists to plan their trips and avoid the rush hours. The influx of travelers is anticipated starting in the afternoon of Holy Wednesday until the afternoon of Maundy Thursday, as well as in the afternoon to evening of Black Saturday, Easter Sunday, and the Monday after Easter,” said MPTC President Rodrigo E. Franco.

He added that “while the company continues its initiatives to boost expressway safety and convenience, it is also important for motorists to observe traffic discipline and practice safety.”

The NLEX Connector Caloocan-España Section is now open to the public. With entry and exit ramps at C3 Road and España, the new expressway serves as another route for those traveling between Metro Manila and North/Central Luzon provinces.

Emergency medical services will also be fielded and prepositioned at strategic areas of the expressways. The 24/7 hotline 1-35000 will be fully manned to address customer concerns.

For unimpeded travel, the NLEX management will also suspend lane closures and mainline road works during the SMSK period unless safety repairs are necessary. Enhanced pavement markings and additional signs will also be in place to further guide travelers. In case of traffic congestion from NLEX to SCTEX Tarlac and vice versa, motorists may enter/exit at NLEX Sta. Ines and SCTEX Concepcion.

CCLEC will also suspend road works on April 6 (Maundy Thursday) and April 7 (Good Friday).

Before heading to their destinations, motorists are encouraged to check the traffic advisories regularly being posted on the company’s official Facebook and Twitter accounts (NLEX Corporation, CAVITEX, CALAX) or through the MPT DriveHub mobile application. For those traveling the NLEX-SCTEX, motorists may also tune in to DWRW 95.1 FM and UFM 105.5 for traffic bulletins.

Free towing service to the nearest exit will be available for Class 1 vehicles traversing the MPTC expressways from 6:00 a.m. of April 5 to 6:00 a.m. of April 11.

As for CCLEX’s Customer Service Centers (CSC) located on both sides near the Toll Plaza, these will remain open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. except on April 7 (Good Friday) to cater to motorists’ CCLEX RFID installation and reloading needs.

“We always encourage our motorists to avail of the free Easytrip RFID and ensure sufficient load balance in their Easytrip RFID for smoother travel. This makes toll transaction quicker, more efficient, helping reduce traffic congestion especially now that we are almost at the pre-pandemic level and more cars are seen traversing the roads,” urged Franco.

“Easytrip RFIDs can now be used on all toll roads in Luzon,” reminded Franco. Motorists need only to enroll their Easytrip RFID to Autosweep to be able to use it on non-MPTC toll roads.

For a full list of Easytrip stations and their schedule, motorists may visit www.easytrip.ph/subscription or Easytrip’s official Facebook account (fb.com/easytripPH).

Motorists can also reload and check their balance conveniently via the MPT DriveHub app available on iOS and Android devices. The app allows tracking of passages, calculation of toll fees, and monitoring of traffic conditions of MPTC expressways.

Moreover, MPTC encourages travelers to take the great opportunity of the long weekend to explore the beautiful destinations in the North and South that are easily accessible thru MPTC toll roads.

SMSK is co-presented by PLDT and Smart and supported by Caltex, Gardenia, Prestone and Wilcon.

MPTC is the biggest toll road developer and operator in the country. Its domestic portfolio includes the concessions for NLEX, SCTEX, NLEX Connector, CAVITEX, CALAX, and the CCLEX in Cebu.