The toll rate increase at the NLEX Harbor Link, which was recently approved by the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), will take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, November 25, 2020.
While operator NLEX Corp. opened the ₱7-billion, 2.6-kilometer elevated section of the Harbor Link five months ago, the additional toll was deferred to avoid further burdening motorists at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, the toll increase amounts to ₱4.00 in the open system and ₱0.06 per kilometer in the closed system.
The open system, where a flat rate is charged per entry, includes Quezon City, Caloocan City, Valenzuela City, Malabon City, and Navotas City in Metro Manila; and Meycauayan City and Marilao in Bulacan.
Under the new toll matrix, motorists traveling anywhere within the open system will pay an additional ₱4.00 for Class 1 vehicles (regular cars and SUVs), additional ₱10.00 for Class 2 vehicles (buses and small trucks), and additional ₱11.00 for Class 3 vehicles.
For end-to-end travel, vehicles traveling from Metro Manila to Mabalacat City in Pampanga will be charged an additional toll of ₱9.00, ₱20.00, and ₱25.00 per class.
The latest NLEX Harbor Link elevated section features the new Caloocan Interchange with on and off ramps in Grace Park, the new Malabon Exit with off ramp on Dagat-Dagatan Avenue, and the new Navotas Interchange, thereby expanding the NLEX network in the Camanava area.
Despite challenging lockdown conditions in place since March this year, the operator resumed construction immediately after obtaining clearance
from the government.
Since opening to commuter traffic in mid-June, the new elevated expressway eased traffic and offered an alternative route for commuters and truckers, currently affected by traffic choke points along EDSA, A. Bonifacio Avenue, and Rizal Avenue in Manila.
Container cargo trucks, especially those carrying essential goods such as medical equipment and supplies, now enjoy 24/7 access and unhampered deliveries from the Ports of Manila as there is no truck ban along NLEX.
An average of 30,100 vehicles per day, mostly from the logistics industry, currently use the new route and enjoy the improved commuting time provided by the NLEX Harbor Link.
Traffic reports also showed that around 7,200 vehicles were diverted to the NLEX Harbor Link from the traditional Manila-bound EDSA Balintawak Cloverleaf, which in turn eased congestion in A. Bonifacio and other clogged streets in Quezon City and Manila.
The new section has also reduced commuting time along Metro Manila’s east to west corridor between the Mindanao Avenue Toll Plaza and the Port Area in Manila to just 20 minutes.
Aside from the NLEX Harbor Link, the NLEX Corp. recently completed the Balagtas Northbound Entry and Tambobong Interchange in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The tollway company also finished the rehabilitation of Bocaue River Bridge; pavement repairs, and upgrading of roadway lights in parts of the expressways; and drainage enhancements in Valenzuela City and in Balagtas, Bocaue, Meycauayan, and Pulilan, plus major upgrading works for the five-kilometer Candaba Viaduct.