Heavy rains brought by tropical storm “Kristine” caused intermittent flooding in some portions of expressways in southern part of Metro Manila, the SMC Infrastructure said.

But the SMC Infrastructure said all the tollways remain passable as of 5 p.m.

Based on its monitoring, flooding was reported near the Alabang area and the Kilometer 46 near Sitio Mapagong, Calamba, Laguna, of the South Luzon Expressway; the northbound carriageway of STAR Tollway in Tanauan and another area in Malvar, both in Batangas

The SMC said it already prepositioned pumps and deployed a backhoe to help the floodwater subside quickly.

The SMC Infrastructure said situations may change at any time as Kristine transits Luzon and asked motorists to minimize non-essential travel for their safety.

“SMC Infrastructure has placed its quick response teams on heightened alert to provide assistance to motorists and ensure that any sudden downpour brought by ‘Kristine’ does not impact any part of the carriageway along its toll network,” chairman and chief executive officer Ramon S. Ang said.

Citing monitoring of its personnel on the ground, Ang said that rainwater would immediately flowed out of the carriageway through the drainage system.

“In the previous months, we have instructed our maintenance teams to ensure our outfalls are clear of any debris and garbage so that any amount of rainwater can drain fast,” said Ang.

Aside from clearing drainage systems, he said the company’s larger river cleanup initiative has also contributed significantly to increasing the carrying capacity of the San Isidro River in San Pedro City, Laguna, where a significant portion of floodwaters from SLEX drains.