Gatchalian calls for immediate repair of Marilao Bridge

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Saturday urged concerned agencies to immediately repair the damaged Marilao Interchange Bridge on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).

In a statement, Gatchalian said there was no reason for the repairs to take two to three weeks.

He emphasized that the Holy Week is approaching, which made the need for prompt repairs more urgent due to anticipated traffic.

“For several days now, the damaged bridge in Marilao Interchange has been causing horrendous vehicular traffic along NLEX, especially during peak hours, leading to significant travel delays for many travelers,” he said.

“With Holy Week rapidly approaching, it is crucial that all expressway routes are promptly and thoroughly addressed to ensure a smooth, hassle-free journey for our kababayans who will be traveling for the holiday,'' he added.

Earlier, the Department of Transportation asked NLEX to waive toll fees while repairs are ongoing due to delays caused by traffic.

“Wala dapat babayaran ang mga kababayan natin habang ginagawa nila ito at habang one and a half hours ang nakabinbin dyan. They owe it to the public na huwag muna silang maniningil for that segment lang na tinamaan,” said DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon.

(Our countrymen should not be charged anything while this is being repaired and while the traffic delay is one and a half hours. They owe it to the public that they should not charge for that segment only that was affected.)

He also urged the NLEX management to open additional lanes to ensure a faster flow of traffic. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News