North Luzon Expressway
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| North Luzon Expressway |
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| formerly North Diversion Road Marcelo H. del Pilar Superhighway Radial Road 8 |
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| Length: | 88 km (54.7 mi) |
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| Direction: | North/South |
| From: | Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (C-4) in Quezon City |
| To: | MacArthur Highway in Mabalacat, Pampanga |
| Major cities: | Quezon City, Caloocan City (South), Valenzuela City, Meycauayan City, Malolos City (Tabang Spur), City of San Fernando and Angeles City |
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The North Luzon Expressway (NLE or NLEx), formerly called North Diversion Road, is a limited-access toll expressway that connects Metro Manila to the provinces of the Central Luzon region in the Philippines. It is one of the two branches of the R-8 major radial road of Metro Manila (Quirino Highway is the other).
The expressway begins in Quezon City at a cloverleaf interchange with EDSA: a logical continuation of Andres Bonifacio Avenue. It then passes through Quezon City, Caloocan City, and Valenzuela City in Metro Manila. Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto, Plaridel, and Pulilan in Bulacan. San Simon, San Fernando City, Mexico and Angeles City in Pampanga. The expressway currently ends at Mabalacat and merges with the MacArthur Highway, which continues northward into the rest of Central and Northern Luzon.
A planned spur route from the San Simon interchange connecting to the existing Subic-Tipo Highway has been temporarily postponed, because the Spur/NLE exit currently serves as the connection between the expressway and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and there is a proposed direct interchange between the North Luzon Expressway and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, the latter serving as a direct link between Subic and Clark. The interchange is located at least 3 km north of Sta. Ines Exit.
The expressway, including Andres Bonifacio Avenue, has total length of 88 kilometers. The expressway segment has a length of 84 kilometres. It is currently being extended by 44 kilometers, starting from its current end in Mabalacat, Pampanga up to Tarlac City in Tarlac. Its extension is part of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project. It will be extended up to San Fernando City, near Poro Point Port in La Union. The extension starts (in the future) at the terminus of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway in La Paz, then passes through Gerona, Paniqui, Anao, Moncada, and San Manuel in Tarlac, Carmen, Villasis, Urdaneta City, Binalonan, Pozzorubio, and Sison in Pangasinan, Rosario, Santo Tomas, Agoo, Aringay, Caba, Bauang, and San Fernando City in La Union. It will be called the Tarlac-La Union Expressway.
Originally controlled by the Philippine National Construction Corporation or PNCC, operation and maintenance of the NLEx was transferred in 2005 to the Manila North Tollways Corporation, a subsidiary of the Lopez Group of Companies. A major upgrade and rehabilitation has been completed in February 2005 and the road has now similar qualities as a modern French tollway. The main contractor of the rehabilitation work was Leighton Contractors Pty. Ltd (Australia) with Egis Projects, a company belonging to the French Groupe Egis as the main subcontractor for the toll, telecommunication and traffic management systems. To help maintain the safety and quality of the expressway, various rules are in effect, such as restricting the left lane to passing vehicles only and banning overloaded trucks.
The tollway has two sections: an open section and a closed section. The open section (within Metro Manila) charges a flat toll based on vehicle class and is employed to reduce the number of toll barriers (and associated bottlenecks) within the metropolis. The closed section is distance-based, charging based on the class of vehicle and distance traveled. Class 1 vehicles can use an electronic toll collection system (called EC Tag) to reduce wait times and congestion at toll barriers. A prepaid magnetic card (the NLE Badge) is provided as an alternative payment for class 2 and 3 vehicles. Both systems connect to accounts that can be replenished in various ways. Travelers not using EC Tag or the NLE Badge on the closed system will instead be issued tickets describing tolls for the various exits. In order to save costs concerning toll barriers at exits, many exits on the NLEx are parclo interchanges, having exit and entrance ramps running alongside each other so that both may be serviced with a single toll barrier.
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[edit] Name
The expressway was named as the Marcelo H. Del Pilar Super Highway after Marcelo H. Del Pilar, the editor of La Solidaridad.
[edit] Technical specifications
- Name: North Luzon Expressway
- Concession holder: Manila North Tollways Corporation
- Operator: Tollways Management Corporation
- Length: 88 km
- Concession starting date: February 2005
- Concession ending date: February 2029
- Highway exits: 15
- Toll plazas: 4
- Rest and Service Areas: 7
- Minimum Height Clearance on Underpasses: 4.27 m (14')
[edit] Tolls
| Class | Open System (Balintawak-Bocaue) |
Closed System (Tabang-Sta.Ines) |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 (Cars, Motorcycles, SUVs, Jeepneys) |
PhP 38 | PhP 2.20/km |
| Class 2 (Buses, Light Trucks) |
PhP 94 | PhP 5.49/km |
| Class 3 (Heavy Trucks) |
PhP 113 | PhP 6.59/km |
[edit] Features
- Variable Message Signs displaying real-time traffic situations
- Rumble Strips located before toll barriers to alert motorists
- Emergency Telephones (every 2 km in the Balintawak-Burol segment, every 1 km in the Burol-Sta. Ines segment)
- Rest and Service Areas (privately owned and operated)
- CCTV
- Car Density Sensors underneath road surface
- Hidden Speed Guns
- Electronic Toll Payment (class 1), Prepaid Account Cards (class 2/3)
- Much of the expressway has been built to U.S. Interstate highway standards, featuring eight lanes through Metro Manila. As it enters the more rural area north of Manila, the expressway narrows to 6 and then 4 lanes with a grass median to separate the two carriageways.
- All signage is in English, and are nearly identical to the "big green signs" (BGS) on American expressway, including white lettering on a green background, with the exit tab in the upper-right corner (distance signs even employ a font similar--if not identical--to the Caltrans font; all other signs employ a different font).
- Like expressways in most American states, the NLEx uses a distance-based sequencing for numbering interchanges. Being a metric country, though, the system is kilometer-log rather than mile-log--exits are numbered according to the distance (in kilometers) from Rizal Park in Manila, which is designated as Kilometer Zero in Luzon.
[edit] Other information
[edit] Lanes
The NLEX has 8 lanes, which has 4 lanes in both directions from the Balintawak to Burol segment, 6 lanes with 3 lanes for both directions on the Burol to Sta. Rita segment and 4 lanes with 2 lanes for both directions on the Tabang Spur, Sta. Rita to Sta. Ines segment.
[edit] Speed limit
80 km/h near Metro Manila, 100 km/h in rural areas, but 120 km/h is permitted. Speed limits are strictly enforced via CCTV cameras and speed guns, and speeders are usually identified as soon as they hit the tollbooth. The highest speed recorded here is 364 km/h by a BMW 650i on April 17, 2008 along the stretch of San Fernando to Pulilan exit.
[edit] Drainage Enhancement Program
The entire stretch of the expressway underwent another rehabilitation regarding its drainage systems. The expressway is known to be flooded during the rainy season and the goal of the project is to fix the drainage systems within the road to prevent flooding. Within this period, certain lanes of the road were closed to the traffic. This in turn caused massive traffic jams along the road and the speed limit on the construction sites were reduced from 80/100 km/h to 60 km/h.
The program started on February 12, 2007 and finished on October 7, 2007.
[edit] NLEX shareholder companies
- Philippine National Construction Corporation
- First Philippine Infrastructure Development Corporation
- Leighton Asia Limited
- Egis Projects S.A of France
[edit] Pop Culture
- The expressway was featured in the music video to the song "Toll Gate" by the band Hale
- It was also featured in the movie "Sa North Diversion Road" in 2005, based on Tony Perez's stage play of the same name. It was created by Dennis Marasigan.
- From 6-17 June 2007, "On North Diversion Road", the play written by Tony Perez, was performed at The Arts House, Singapore, by young & W!LD, an actor training division of Singapore's W!LD RICE Theatre.
[edit] Trivia
- The expressway was once the longest and the most modern expressway in the Philippines.
- The expressway has similar signages found in a modern Australian motorway, due to the fact that one of the contractors who rehabilitated the expressway is an Australian construction company.
- The expressway is the first expressway in Southeast Asia, built and completed in 1968.
- For the electronic toll collection, the road uses transponders called EC-Tag and utilizes physical barriers to ensure that every vehicle had paid the corresponding toll fee. It is based on the 5.7 GHz standard.
- The road is a very famous spot for speeding and is frequently used by testers to test high speed cars only next to Metro Manila Skyway, even with highway patrols and several anti-speeding technologies along the road.
[edit] Exits
Exit numbers are based on kilometer post. Exits begin at 9 because the NLEx is a logical continuation of Andres Bonifacio Avenue. Rizal Park is designated as Kilometer Zero.
| Kilometer No. | Exit | Location | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Balintawak Cloverleaf Exit | Quezon City | Southbound traffic defaults onto Andres Bonifacio Avenue. Going right is going to Manila, Navotas, and Malabon and going left is going to Quezon City proper, Marikina City, San Juan City, Mandaluyong City, and Makati City. | |
| 10 | Novaliches Exit | This exit is only situated at Baguio Bound only. It is an alternate route to other parts of Quezon City and Bulacan province. From SM North Edsa (EDSA) please take the service road. | ||
| KM 11 | Balintawak Toll Barrier Northbound | Caloocan City | Proceeding northbound, you pay the open system toll at this barrier. If the motorist exits on or before Bocaue Exit, it will encounter no further barriers. Beyond this, motorists enter the closed system and will pay the closed system's toll at the toll barrier for their exit. There is a runaway truck ramp next to the toll barrier. | |
| 15 | Valenzuela Exit | Valenzuela City | The new name for Malinta Exit. Left goes to Valenzuela City proper. Right goes to Novaliches in Quezon City and Caloocan City. | |
| KM 16 Southbound | Caltex Service Area | This service area has only with a convenience store and 3 restrooms. The tollway plaza here never existed. | ||
| 18 | Lawang Bato Exit | This is only a temporary exit. This will be replaced by the U/C Canumay Exit. It is situated at the northbound lane only. | ||
| 20 | Meycauayan Exit | Meycauayan City, Bulacan | From Manila, left goes to Obando and to Meycauayan City proper. Right lane goes to Barangays Libtong and Iba. | |
| KM 22 Northbound | Petron Service Station | Marilao, Bulacan | ||
| 23 | Marilao Exit | From Manila, right goes to San Jose del Monte City. Left goes to Marilao town proper. | ||
| KM 26 Southbound | Bocaue Toll Barrier | Bocaue, Bulacan | Proceeding on the southbound lane, motorists pay the toll for both the closed and open systems at this barrier. This makes it the last toll barrier that motorists encounter southbound, regardless of where motorists exit beyond this point. | |
| 27 | Bocaue Exit | This is the last exit on the open system. The closed system begins North of here. | ||
| KM 29 Southbound | Petron Service Area | |||
| KM 31 Northbound | Shell Service Area | Balagtas, Bulacan | ||
| 32 | Tabang Exit | The Tabang Spur Road entrance/exit. The entrance is only situated on the Northbound lanes. | ||
| KM 36 | Tabang Toll Barrier | Guiguinto, Bulacan | By going straight ahead, it leads you to the City of Malolos | |
| 38 | Santa Rita Exit | Left goes to Sta. Rita town proper, Malolos City, and Tabang toll barrier. Right goes to Plaridel town proper, Baliuag, and Cagayan Valley Region. | ||
| 45 | Pulilan Exit | Pulilan, Bulacan | Between here and the Total Service Area is the Candaba Viaduct, a 5 km long trestle over the Candaba swamps. | |
| KM 48 | Candaba Viaduct | Candaba, Pampanga | A 5 km long brige over the Candaba swamps, the longest brige in NLEX and Luzon. | |
| KM 55 Northbound | Total Service Area | San Simon, Pampanga | ||
| 57 | San Simon Exit | The road at left of the exit heads to Masantol, the road at the right the of the exit heads to Santa Ana and Candaba. | ||
| KM 62 Southbound | Caltex Service Area | City of San Fernando, Pampanga | ||
| 65 | San Fernando Exit | This exits to the Olongapo-Gapan road. Bataan and Olongapo are to the west, Gapan to the east. Noteworthy are SM City Pampanga and Robinson Starmills Pampanga--both immediately east of the exit and visible from the expressway. | ||
| KM 70 Northbound | Petron Service Area | Mexico, Pampanga | ||
| 72 | Mexico Exit | Left goes to Barangays Panipuan and Sindalan of the City of San Fernando. Right goes to Mexico town proper and the Lakeshore Estates. | ||
| KM 76 Southbound | Shell Service Area | |||
| 80 | Angeles Exit | Angeles City, Pampanga | This exit is the alternate route to Clark Special Economic Zone proper and Diosdado Macapagal International Airport via Mt. View Subdivision in Balibago, Angeles City. | |
| KM 82 | Dau Toll Barrier | Mabalacat, Pampanga | ||
| 83 | Dau Exit | This exit goes to Barangay Dau and its large bus terminal and commercial center. | ||
| 85 | Spur/NLE Exit | This exit goes to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, Clark Special Economic Zone Proper, Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, Bataan province and Subic Bay Freeport Zone. | ||
| 88 | Santa Ines Exit | This is the current end of the expressway, with the possibility of the expressway being from this exit in a northeast direction until it meets up with the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway. Right goes to Mabalacat Town proper and left goes to the Concepcion-Magalang Road. |
[edit] Future Exits
Except for NLE - C5 & NLE-C6 Interchanges, these exits are all under construction as of today. The exits from Tarlac City to San Fernando City, La Union are still being planned, being part of the Tarlac-La Union Expressway.
| Kilometer No. | Exit | Location | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | C-5 Exit | Valenzuela City | The exit will connect the expressway with the proposed northern extension of C5 Road. |
| 18 | Canumay Exit | This exit will replace the Lawang Bato Temporary Exit. | |
| 24 | NLE-C6 Interchange | Bulacan-Rizal-Manila-Cavite Regional Expressway, Marilao, Bulacan | This is an interchange with the proposed C6 Expressway. |
| ? | NLE-NELE Interchange | Plaridel, Bulacan | This is an interchange with the proposed provincial spur road of North East Luzon Expressway. |
| ? | SCTE-NLE Interchange | Mabalacat, Pampanga | This will serve as the direct connection between the expressway and the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway. |
[edit] External links
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