Stakeholders OK conversion of Marilao Interchange to national road
By Shane F. Velasco
MALOLOS CITY (PIA) — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), provincial government of Bulacan, and the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Corporation have given the green light to convert the Marilao Interchange along the Marilao-San Jose Del Monte Provincial Road into a national road.
This portion crosses the Marilao section NLEX.
Vice Governor Alexis Castro said that the Sangguniang Panlalawigan reaffirms its commitment to prioritize the transfer of the jurisdiction of the road from the Provincial Engineering Office to the DPWH.
A resolution by the provincial board serves as a prerequisite in drafting a bill in the incoming 20th Congress.
For his part, DPWH Assistant Regional Director Melquiades Sto. Domingo welcomes the initiative as the planned conversion will pave the way for the full upgrading and further uplifting of the vertical clearance of the Marilao Interchange Bridge from the current 4.27 meters.
NLEX Corporation Assistant Vice President for Traffic Operation Robin Ignacio explained that the Marilao Interchange Bridge was originally part of the Marilao-San Jose Del Monte Provincial Road under the jurisdiction of the provincial government since it was built in the 1960s.
There were no original entry and exit points in Marilao when the then North Diversion Road, presently the NLEX, was constructed by state firm Construction Development Corporation of the Philippines which later on became the Philippine National Construction Corporation.
When the modernization of NLEX began in 2002, the bridge became part of the Marilao Interchange following the establishment of particular entry and exit points in the municipality.
This year, two accidents were recorded that rammed the structure of the Marilao Interchange despite the constant reminder on the appropriate vertical clearance by the NLEX Corporation through its visible gantries in the toll plazas.
Toll fees were waived during the brief period of repairs upon the order of the Department of Transportation through the Toll Regulatory Board.
The concessionaire of NLEX’s operation and modernization has assumed the task of repairing efforts.
Traffic flow in both directions of the four-lane Marilao section of NLEX is now back to normal. (CLJD/SFV, PIA Region 3-Bulacan)
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