The North Luzon Expressway Corp. (NEX) said it expects to complete works to elevate the 200-meter portion of San Simon in Pampanga before the year ends to address massive flooding in the area.
“The goal is to enhance safety, accessibility, and mobility of motorists especially during the rainy season. We aim to complete the project as soon as possible with minimal disruption to the motorists,” NLEX president Luigi Bautista said.
The works included the completion of a detailed engineering design for the pavement raising of both the north and south bounds of the 200-meter portion under the Tulaoc overpass by 0.7 meters, as well as, the design for the flood walls with sump pits and sump pumps to manage flood waters and avoid another flooding incident in the area.
The tollway company will also raise the pavement of the San Simon ramp and improve its drainage system.
The massive flooding in Central and North Luzon due to heavy rains in the previous weeks affected a hundred-meter portion of NLEX San Simon, causing up to 68-cm deep flood in the area. The volume of vehicles avoiding the monstrous flood at the local roads piled up and caused heavy traffic in the expressway.
“The problem is the flood level outside the NLEX has overflowed to the lowest area of NLEX in San Simon. We asked the DPWH to raise
the Tulaoc overpass so we can also elevate this portion of the expressway,” Bautista said.
In a situation briefing with local government officials of Pampanga, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. backed the raising of the overpass and explained the flooding was caused by the heavy and continuous rains brought about by typhoons Egay and Falcon.
“We are very grateful for the support of the President. His go signal to raise the Tulaoc overpass will definitely help fast track our San Simon road raising project,” Bautista added.
Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan also made his commitment to raise the Tulaoc overpass by 0.7m also. Once this is done, NLEX plans to add another 0.3m on the pavement, raising the 200-meter portion of NLEX San Simon by a total of 1 meter.
During the same briefing, Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation president Rogelio Singson suggested the building of a water impounding facility in Candaba as a long-term solution to prevent flooding in nearby and low-laying areas of Pampanga.
The safety and convenience of the motorists remain the top priority of NLEX as it continuously implements projects to secure their welfare and enhance their travel experience despite any weather conditions.
NLEX built various flood prevention projects in the past to avoid hindered travel in the expressway. These include several drainage enhancement projects in flood prone areas in NLEX Harbor Link, Balintawak, Meycauayan, Valenzuela, San Simon, Dau, Porac, Floridablanca, and Tipo; and the installation of sump-pits and pump houses in Balintawak and Valenzuela Interchanges to prevent water buildup in the area. Last year, NLEX completed the road raising of a 640-meter portion of SCTEX in Bataan.