Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista said the transportation sector is prepared for travelers to the provinces in the days leading to All Saints’ Day on Nov. 1
NLEX Corp. meanwhile said that it will implement additional traffic management measures from October 28 to November 2 in anticipation of the increased traffic volume this coming ‘Úndas.’
Bautista said air, land, and sea travel units have been expanded to accommodate the expected increase in the number of passengers, ABS-CBN News reported.
The official said the airports are ready for more flights, while more buses and passenger jeepneys are also expected to accommodate more passengers.
“Our airports are ready for more flights. Our bus companies and land transport have an arrangement to make more buses and jeepneys available. Our ships especially from Batangas going to Mindoro and other destinations in South Luzon are also ready to support the needs of our travelers,” Bautista, quoted by the ABS-CBN News report said.
Travel ports are set to launch the annual “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos” later this week to focus on passenger assistance, while the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said that help desks will be set up at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) composed of public affairs, operations, police, and medical personnel.
The MIAA said it will also monitor congestion and long queueing, and ensure critical airport infrastructure, equipment, and back-up systems are ready to use.
J. Luigi Bautista, NLEX president and general manager meanwhile said “we will heighten our operations as we are projecting an increase of around 10 percent in our average daily traffic of 278,000 at NLEX and71,000 at the SCTEX.”
With vehicular traffic expected to grow, traffic and toll operations teams will have full deployment to manage the traffic and assist motorists during the long holiday weekend.
Over 1,000 patrol crews, traffic marshals, security teams, incident response teams, and toll lane personnel will be fielded to ensure safety and provide immediate assistance to travelers. Emergency medical services will also be augmented.
From October 28 to November 2, high volume plazas such as Balintawak, Mindanao, Karuhatan, Valenzuela (Paso de Blas), Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Sta. Rita, Pulilan, San Simon, San Fernando, Clark South, Tarlac, Tipo, and SFEX will be closely monitored.
As the Candaba Viaduct undergoes repairs, only two lanes on the southbound portion are open for motorists. The leftmost lane is for large trucks or Class 3 vehicles while the rightmost lane is for light vehicles or Class 1. Due to limited capacity at the said bridge, Class 3 will be restricted at both bounds from November 1, 12:00 midnight to November 2, 12:00 noon.
Counterflow scheme will be implemented at select locations along the NLEX northbound direction from October 28 to 31 and along the southbound direction from November 1 to November 2. Free towing service to the nearest exit will be available for Class 1 from October 28, 6:00 a.m. to November 2, 6:00 a.m.