EDITORS DESK
Last week, frequent travelers to the north of Metro Manila were treated to a nightmare of traffic when an 18-wheeler truck had collided with an overhead bridge along the Marilao interchange in NLEX, causing serious damage to both the truck and overhead bridge.
It happened in the early hours of the morning, resulting in an agonizing crawl for those caught in the following morning rush hour and for most of the following days.
The culprit was a truck carrying what appeared to be a silo or gas container. This large load proved to be taller than the clearance the bridge provided. The ensuing collision resulted in the poor driver flying out the front window while the cargo severely damaged two steel support beams under the bridge.
Needless to say, proper assessments needed to be conducted. Many travelers collectively heaved a sigh of discontent when the toll operator announced that repairs could possibly take two weeks.
I was one of those dreading the trip up north as that weekend was the first leg of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Philippine GT Cup held at Clark International Speedway. Thankfully, NLEX Corp. had worked quickly to clear up a few lanes under the bridge for traffic to flow through. The incident resulted in a traffic slowdown of just an additional 15 minutes to my estimated travel time. Of course, I was traveling during off-peak hours.
Some days after, NLEX had managed to clear up yet another lane to further ease traffic. Just a few days ago, the repair was complete and all lanes under the bridge were open again. Was it the demand of new Transport Secretary, Vince Dizon not to charge toll while repairs were being done that managed to speed up repairs? Possibly. Nonetheless, NLEX Corp.’s efforts to speed up repairs still deserve some recognition.
With new pictures of the affected area posted, it seems NLEX has now posted new signs warning trucks to stay away from the affected lanes, else risk encountering a similar accident. The bridge appears to be repaired, but the problem seems to still persist.
The reason why the collision occurred in the first place is that the Marilao interchange bridge is much lower than all the others along the highway. On my approach to the affected bridge last week, I noticed that NLEX had installed signs showing the clearance some meters before each bridge. Most ranged between 5.0 - 5.2 meters, which is standard clearance for any highway. The Marilao interchange, however, is just 4.27 meters, which is significantly lower than the others.
Most 18-wheelers carrying standard containers will easily clear this gap, however, trucks with unusual or bulky cargo like the one that collided with the bridge must be intimately familiar with their vehicle’s height before even thinking about entering NLEX.
Worse still, this sign is only a few meters from the bridge itself, giving trucks little time to slow down before passing under the bridge.
Much has also been said about the apparent lack of enforcement that could have prevented this vehicle from entering the toll way in the first place. Many solutions have been proposed from simple clearance bars, to very high tech systems like laser scanners that check a vehicle’s height and can flash a stop sign or warning lights to prevent the vehicle from proceeding.
Perhaps it’s time NLEX look into increasing the clearance at the Marilao interchange. Raising the bridge’s height may be quite difficult, but perhaps lowering the road level under the bridge may be a bit easier. Granted this is still challenging as there is a bridge near the interchange and a lower road will still have to be graded to match the bridge’s level.
The simplest deterrent may be to post vertical clearance signs for the lowest point in the highway at every northbound entrance before Marilao. This should give adequate warning to any truck entering the tollway, whether they will pass through Marilao or not.
To conclude, NLEX Corp. is deserving of thanks for their quick work in resolving this issue. However, I fear, little has been done to prevent a similar occurrence in the future. It’s hoped that truck owners are paying attention, and now know that nothing taller than 4.27 meters should enter the expressway.
(Iñigo S. Roces is the Motoring Editor of Manila Bulletin)