THE Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) has approved the proposed opening of a North Luzon Expressway (NLEx) interchange in Sto. Tomas town, Pampanga.
Sto. Tomas Mayor Johnny Sambo, who is one of the proponents of the new convergence road project, said the MNTC Board ratified the proposal after the Central Luzon Regional Development Council endorsed the project in January this year.
“Siguro nakita din nila ang pangangailangan na magbukas ng panibagong interchange sa pagitan ng San Simon at San Fernando exits (Maybe they saw the need to open a new interchange between San Simon and San Fernando exits),” he said.
Sambo said that the proposal, which is spearheaded by Fourth District Representative Juan Pablo “Rimpy” Bondoc, is aimed at decongesting the existing tollways in San Simon town and City of San Fernando which are now considered crowded.
The City of San Fernando and San Simon exits are utilized by around 5,000 dump trucks hauling sand from Pampanga quarries aside from the private and public vehicles that use it on a regular basis, he added.
Sambo said the interchange will be installed in Barangay Sto. Rosario Pau here which is seen to be strategically located as it is already along the NLEx road and is some four kilometers away from the said existing toll gates.
He added that the convergence project will be part of the NLEx Phase 3 project which will connect the San Simon exit to Dinalupihan town in Bataan.
Sambo said that the tollway will be linked to another proposed national highway road network with an initial budget of P304-million to be included in the 2018 national budget.
The said bypass road will connect the eastern portion of the City of San Fernando.
It will also traverse MacArthur Highway and the interior towns of Sto. Tomas, Minalin, Apalit, Macabebe and Masantol via the Pasac-Culcul national highway.
“Kapag available na ang pondo sa 2018, sisimulan na kaagad ang construction at sa loob ng tatlo o dalawang taon, magagamit na ito ng ating mga kababayan (As soon as the fund is made available in 2018, the construction will start and in two to three years, the road is expected to be finished),” Sambo said.
Once launched, the road network is seen to not only provide easy access to the residents of fourth district towns but will also serve as a sparkplug for growth for the whole southern part of Pampanga, including its neighboring City of San Fernando and improve traffic situation along the area.
