The DOTr secretary has urged to tollway operator to compensate motoring public for inconvenience.
Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon has called on the NLEX Corporation to add more lanes and waive toll fees along the affected area of the damaged Marilao Interchange, which had to be repaired following Wednesday’s accident at the Marilao Interchange Bridge.
Secretary Dizon argued that it is only reasonable for NLEX to waive toll from motorists passing the northbound side of the expressway while bridge repairs are underway.
“Dobleng pasakit naman sa mga motorista kung sisingilin pa sila nang buong toll habang ilang oras silang naiipit sa traffic kahit maikling distansya lang naman ang ibibiyahe nila. Maliit na pakonswelo lang ito sa abalang dinaranas ng mga motorista’t pasahero,” said Dizon.
Aside from the toll holiday for the affected NLEX segment, Sec. Dizon also said that it is necessary to allocate additional lanes to immediately address traffic congestion.
In response, the NLEX Corporation already opened one additional lane—providing a total of three lanes to allow faster flow of traffic.
It also told that it is working to finish the works before the end of March.
The company also filed charges of reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property against the driver and the owners of the truck.
Meanwhile, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) already gave NLEX an order to explain why it shouldn’t face penalties for allowing a truck with excessive vertical clearance to enter the toll plaza, damaging the bridge.
For its part, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) immediately issued a show cause order to the truck company and its driver.
“We are in close coordination with NLEX management and we thank them for their urgent response to the incident and their cooperation to mitigate traffic,” according to Dizon.