Northbound? Prepare for bottlenecks, heavy traffic
TARLAC CITY, Philippines—While the trip from Metro Manila to Tarlac province through the three major expressways in the north is a breeze, travelers will take a longer time on the road as soon as they exit the newly opened interchange of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) in Paniqui town, Tarlac province.
Among these holiday travelers is President Aquino, whose group drove to Baguio City from Tarlac, his home province, on Friday.
Aquino is spending his three-day break in the summer capital where over 800,000 tourists, many of them with their vehicles, had spent time in during the holiday week beginning Dec. 22.
Tarlac traffic
Benedicto Alhambra, Baguio tourism officer, said many visitors had complained about the heavy traffic in the city.
Aquino had inaugurated the TPLEx on Monday, saying it gave him hope on modernizing north Luzon.
But traffic is slow-moving from TPLEx’s Paniqui exit to MacArthur Highway. And once motorists reach MacArthur Highway, they will have to slow down, as they will pass through sections where single lanes and rough road shoulders are being used due to widening and repair projects from Moncada town in Tarlac to Rosario town in La Union province.
Bottlenecks were reported in town centers in Moncada, Rosales and Villasis towns, Urdaneta City in Pangasinan province and the approach of Bued Bridge on the boundary of Sison town in Pangasinan and Rosario in La Union.
Alternate routes have been prepared in several areas, like in Moncada, but these lack proper directional signs and pass through narrow village roads.
Germon Ines, chief of the maintenance section of the Department of Public Works and Highways’ (DPWH) Tarlac office, said buses loading and unloading in areas not designated as bus stops contributed to the heavy traffic.
Buildup causes
Paniqui Mayor Miguel Rivilla said two junctions, one right after the TPLEx exit and another at the main Paniqui junction on MacArthur Highway, created the buildup due to the volume of travelers bound for Baguio City and other provinces in the Ilocos region.
Rivilla said police had been deployed to direct traffic and ease vehicle flow.
He also called the attention of the DPWH to improve and refurbish directional signs to help motorists.
Police officials in Pangasinan also advised motorists coming from Metro Manila bound for Dagupan City and tourist destinations in western Pangasinan not to take MacArthur Highway from Tarlac City to Urdaneta City.
Senior Insp. Ryan Manongdo, Pangasinan police spokesperson, said those traveling to Dagupan can take Romulo Highway from Tarlac City to Camiling town and then turn right to Camiling-Bayambang Road.
Alternate routes
From Bayambang, they will pass through the towns of Malasiqui and Calasiao, and then Dagupan City, he said.
This can also be an alternate route for pilgrims and devotees of Our Lady of Manaoag in Manaoag town.
From Malasiqui, a road leads to the towns of Sta. Barbara, Mapandan and Manaoag, which can also be a takeoff point for those going to Baguio City and the rest of the Ilocos provinces.
DPWH officials advised motorists to take alternate routes, especially during peak hours, from 7 to 9 a.m. and from 4 to
7 p.m.
In a traffic advisory released on Friday, the DPWH district office in Rosales town said there had been heavy traffic in Barangay Carmen in Rosales due to the repair of a road section there and the Christmas sale in SM City Rosales, which is along MacArthur Highway.
The advisory is in effect from Dec. 27 to Jan. 6 when thousands of motorists are expected to head north because of the holidays. Jo Martinez-Clemente, Inquirer Central Luzon, and Gabriel Cardinoza and Vincent Cabreza, Inquirer Northern Luzon
