NLEX, Cavitex expect 15-20% traffic surge for Holy Week 2019

Expressway toll gates

MANILA, Philippines — The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Corp. is expecting as much as 15 percent increase in the daily volume of vehicles that would ply the super highway this Holy Week.

NLEX Corp. President and General Manager Luigi Bautista said Thursday their projection was based from last year’s figure of up to 330,000 vehicles per day during the Holy Week, which was around 15 percent higher than NLEX’s daily average of 250,000 vehicles.

“Ang projection namin is hindi lang 10-percent [surge], minsan umaakyat yan ng 15 percent,” Bautista said in a press conference in Quezon City. “Puwede natin sabihin na sa NLEX, we are in fact ready to accommodate up to 15 percent surge kaya tayo naghahanda.”

Meanwhile, in the Manila-Cavite Expressway (Cavitex), the number of travelers is expected to swell by almost 20 percent, according to Cavitex President and General Manager Roberto Bontia.

Bontia said Cavitex is anticipating around 170,000 to 175,000 vehicles this Holy Wednesday – higher than its 150,000 to 160,000 daily average of vehicles using the super highway.

“On a particular day, especially Holy Wednesday, siya ‘yung talagang mataas na traffic,” Bontia said in the same press conference.

“Compared to an ordinary day in Cavitex, ‘yung Holy Wednesday traffic, ‘yun ‘yung nag-uuwian ng mga probinsya. It is actually higher by almost 20 percent,” he added.

Bontia, however, noted that other than Holy Wednesday volume of vehicles traversing Cavitex decrease for the rest of the week.

“Medyo iba lang ‘yung pattern sa Cavitex. Mataas siya ng Holy Wednesday, but for the rest of the Holy Week from Holy Thursday up to Easter Sunday, mas mababa siya than the regular daily traffic,” he said. /kga