Daily NLEx, SCTEx traffic may reach 160,000 in 2012

RAPPLER - The tollway unit of conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp (MPIC) led by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan expects revenues to hit over P6 billion this 2012 on account of modest traffic increase in 2 existing road projects.

“We are targeting a modest growth of 2% to 3% this year. We are approaching 160,000 average daily traffic,” Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) president Ramoncito Fernandez told reporters on Thursday, March 22.

MPTC controls the concession to the 84-kilometer NLEx, which connects Metro Manila with northern Luzon areas, and has bagged the the contract to operate and maintain the 94-km Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx).

Revenues from SCTEx are not included in MPTC's targets since President Aquino has yet to sign the contract, but traffic projections are already part of the group computations.

The NLEx and SCTEx revenue and traffic targets for 2012 are not far from 2011's.

MPTC recorded around P6 billion in revenues in 2011, slightly higher than the P5.5 billion it recorded in 2010.

This year, the number of vehicles that will use NLEX and SCTEX may grow to three percent as against a decline of 1% in 2011 compared to a year ago.

Traffic stood at 158,000 vehicles a day in 2011 as against 159,000 recorded in 2010.

MPTC is setting aside P360 million to integrate NLEX and SCTEX. Another P140 million will be earmarked for repairs and rehab. By April, it will open a new interchange in Balagtas, Bulacan worth over P100 million.

The group of Manuel Pangilinan is also expanding the NLEX.

Dubbed as the NLEX Harbor Link project, this road will link the NLEX to Manila’s Port Area via another tollway connecting the NLEX main to the newly built cloverleaf junction in Valenzuela City. The total project cost is estimated at P10 billion.