The operator of the North Luzon Expressway has asked motorists to be patient as it starts repairs on the Marilao Interchange Bridge in the tollway鈥檚 Bulacan section. The bridge was damaged after a Bataan-bound truck hit it on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. 鈥擯hoto from NLEx Corp.
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon wants the聽 North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) to suspend the toll collection in areas affected by the repair work on a damaged bridge in Marilao, Bulacan.
鈥淚 am demanding from NLEx that, while they are doing repairs and our fellow citizens are inconvenienced, to waive toll fees in affected areas, segments,鈥� Dizon said in Filipino in an interview.
On Wednesday, the NLEx Corp. reported the emergency closure of lanes 2 and 3 of the Marilao Interchange Bridge after a road incident. The incident has been causing slow-moving traffic along the expressway.
READ: Expect heavy traffic on NLEx for 2 weeks
After conducting an assessment, the corporation found out that the bridge was struck by an 18-wheeler, causing damage to two of the bridge girders.
The corporation also announced that the repair would take two weeks. However, Dizon instructed them to complete it in a week.
鈥淚 said, this is unacceptable. So this needs to be finished in one week. I demanded one week. They have not responded if they can do it,鈥� he added.
Meanwhile, the NLEx Corp. said that they understand the concerns of the DOTr and stakeholders on slow moving traffic in the area because of the incident.
鈥淣LEX Corporation acknowledges DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon鈥檚 statement that urges NLEX to consider some toll relief at the Marilao Segment of the expressway where the bridge hit incident occurred last 19 March, which has resulted in heavy traffic,鈥� it said in a statement.聽
It added that the corporation 鈥渞emains fully committed to minimizing inconvenience to motorists and ensuring swift restoration of normal traffic flow鈥� affected by the incident.