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The North Luzon Expressway, also known as the NLE or the NLEx, 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 the cities/municipalities of Valenzuela City, Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto, Plaridel, Pulilan, San Simon, San Fernando, Mexico and Angeles City. The expressway 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 cancelled, because there is now an on-going construction of an interconnection between the North Luzon Expressway and the Subic-Clark Expressway, the latter serving as a direct link between Subic and Clark. The interconnection 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 extented 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 may be extented up to Laoag City in Ilocos Norte and there are plans to have a spur route going to Baguio City to provide motorists going to the summer capital a fast and safe journey.
Originally controlled by the Philippine National Construction Corporation or PNCC, operation and maintenance of the NLEx was transferred to the Manila North Tollways Corporation in 2005. 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.
Technical specifications
- Name: North Luzon Expressway
- Concession holder: Manila North Tollways Corporation
- Operator: Tollways Management Corporation
- Length: 88 km (being extended by 44 km)
- Concession starting date: February 2005
- Concession ending date: February 2030
- Highway exits: 15
- Toll plazas: 4
- Rest and Service Areas: 7
- Minimum Height Clearance on Underpasses: 4.27m (14')
Tolls
| Class | Open System (Balintawak-Marilao) | Closed System (Bocaue-Sta.Ines) |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 (Cars, Motorcycles, SUVs, Jeepneys) | PhP 42 | PhP 2.48/km |
| Class 2 (Buses, Light Trucks) | PhP 106 | PhP 6.21/km |
| Class 3 (Heavy Trucks) | PhP 127 | PhP 7.45/km |
Features
- Variable Message Signs displaying real-time traffic situations
- 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 the start of the expressway.
Speed Limit
80 km/h near Metro Manila, 100 km/h in rural areas, but 120 km/h is permitted
Lanes
8 Lanes(4 lanes both directions) - Balintawak-Burol segment
6 Lanes(3 lanes both directions) - Burol-Sta. Rita segment
4 Lanes(2 lanes both directions) - Tabang Spur, Sta. Rita-Sta.Ines segment
List of exits
Exit numbers are based on kilometerpost. Exits begin at 9 because the NLEx is a logical continuation of Andres Bonifacio Avenue.
Exit 9 - Balintawak Exit - EDSA
- Southbound traffic defaults onto Andres Bonifacio Avenue.
- Proceeding northbound, you pay the open system toll at this barrier. If you exit before passing the Bocaue Exit, you will encounter no further barriers. Beyond, you enter the closed system and will pay the closed system's toll at the toll barrier for your exit.
- There is a runaway truck ramp next to the toll barrier.
Kilometre 16(Southbound) - Caltex Service Area
Exit 18 - Malinta/Lawang Bato Exit - Lawang Bato, Ever Gardens Memorial Park
- This is only a temporary exit. This will be replaced by the U/C Canumay Exit.
Kilometre 22(Northbound) - Petron Service Area
Exit 23 - Marilao Exit - Marilao
- This is the last exit on the open system. The closed system begins north of here.
- Proceeding southbound, you pay the toll for both the closed and open system at this barrier, making this is the last toll barrier you encounter southbound, regardless of where you exit beyond this point.
Kilometre 29(Southbound) - Petron Service Area
Kilometre 32(Northbound) - Shell Service Area
Kilometre 32 - Tabang Spur Overpass - Burol, Balagtas
- This exit is only for vehicles coming from Manila. There is no access ramp from the southbound lane on this exit.
Exit 38 - Sta. Rita Exit - Sta. Rita, Guiguinto
Exit 45 - Pulilan Exit - Pulilan
- Between here and the Total Service Area is the Candaba Viaduct, a 5-km long trestle over the Candaba swamps.
- UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
Kilometre 62(Southbound) - Caltex Service Area
Exit 65 - San Fernando Exit - San Fernando City
- This exits to the Olongapo-Gapan road. Olongapo is 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.
Exit 72 - Mexico Exit - Mexico, Pampanga; Lakeshore Estates
Kilometre 76(Southbound) - Shell Service Area
Exit 80 - Angeles Exit - Angeles City
Kilometre 82 - Dau Toll Barrier
Exit 83 - Dau Exit - Dau, Mabalacat
Exit 88 - Sta. Ines Exit - Sta. Ines, Mabalacat
Future Exits
- Except for NLE-C5 & NLE-C6 Interchanges, these exits are all underconstruction as of today
Exit 18 - Canumay Exit - Lawang Bato, Valenzuela
NLE-C6 Interchange - Metro Manila Tollway
Exit 84 - Clark Spur Road - Clark Special Economic Zone, Diosdado Macapagal International Airport, Subic Bay Freeport Zone
Exit 91 - Subic-Clark Expressway-NLE Interchange - Subic-Clark Expressway, Subic Bay Freeport Zone and the provinces of Bataan and Zambales
- This exit is only for those vehicles coming from the northern provinces of Luzon. The is no access ramp from the northbound lane on this exit.
Concepcion Exit - Concepcion, Tarlac
San Miguel Exit - San Miguel, Tarlac City
Tarlac Exit - Luisita Industrial Park, Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac City, Tarlac
Other Information
- The expressway is the longest and most modern expressway in the Philippines
- The expressway was featured in the music video to the song "Toll Gate" by the band Hale
- The expressway is the first expressway in Southeast Asia, built and completed during the late 1960s *
External links
"North Luzon Expressway"