Bocaue exit in Bulacan has cleanest air along NLEx

EASIER TO BREATHE HERE The North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) toll plaza in Bocaue, Bulacan, registers the cleanest air largely due to its use of solar energy and limited traffic because of travel restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, NLEx Corp. said. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BOCAUE, BULACAN—The air is cleanest at the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) toll plaza stationed in this Bulacan town, based on readings made in 2020.

The reduced carbon emissions at the Bocaue barrier, which measured at carbon dioxide (CO2) emission savings of 50,618 kilograms, is equivalent to the oxygen produced by 1,511 trees, NLEx Corp., which operates the motorway, announced on Friday.

The Bocaue clean air status was achieved because it uses solar energy, the reduced movement due to restrictions imposed by the Luzon lockdown, and the prevailing quarantines to stave off the coronavirus pandemic, the company said in a statement.

Overall, NLEx’s solar photovoltaic power system reflected carbon emission savings of 134,232 kg, which is equivalent to 4,006 trees planted.

NLEx stretches over 84 kilometers, linking Metro Manila to provinces in central Luzon.

Balintawak Toll Plaza in Quezon City came in second as it yielded CO2 emission savings of 42,980 kg, which corresponds to 1,283 trees planted.

The tollway company first harnessed solar power in its southbound toll plaza in Meycauayan town in Bulacan in 2018. It was followed by the toll plazas in Balintawak, Bocaue, Mexico (Pampanga), Angeles City, City of San Fernando southbound and Harbor Link (Karuhatan) in Valenzuela City in 2019.

Doing more for motorists

NLEx intends to put up more solar power panels in its other toll plazas and Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway to further reduce the company’s carbon footprint, the company added.

“We are seizing the opportunity to do more for our motorists and environment by improving our operational efficiency and promoting sustainability,” said NLEx Corp. president and general manager J. Luigi Bautista in a statement.

NLEx said it had been incorporating sustainable energy in its operations through its LED-led energy-efficient roadway lighting systems.

Since 2006, NLEx has spearheaded tree planting initiatives within the expressway. The company has also been conducting a monthly cleanup drive in the 27-km Tullahan River since 2010, together with volunteers from select host communities in the Metro Manila cities of Valenzuela, Quezon, and Caloocan.

NLEx Corp. is a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the toll road arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corp.

—CARMELA REYES-ESTROPE INQ