NLEX Completes Tulaoc River Dredging, Readies for Heavy Rains

MANILA, Philippines — Dredging of the NLEx section of the Tulaoc River is complete, and as of Sept. 8, NLEx Corp. reports there is no more pooling of rainwater on the expressway shoulder. The company added that the work is continuing upstream from the Manila Bay outfall toward Tulaoc and the expressway, carried out with government and private sector partners. Deployment upstream was not possible during the flooding itself, when standing water blocked truck access. Sheet piles installed along the alignment to keep water out of the NLEX system are being monitored through the rainfall now forecast. Dredging is one part of the flood mitigation measures on the corridor. A mobile pumping unit is deployed at the kilometer 56 marker, with L-type flood barriers and modular mesh-and-liner units along the alignment and crews pre-positioned at Meycauayan, Paso de Blas, San Fernando and Balintawak. Toll relief for journeys the expressway did not deliver—P113 for Class 1, P281 for Class 2 and P338 for Class 3—was credited to motorists’ RFID accounts the following day, with no claim form required. “Our section of the river is dredged, and there is no water on the shoulder,” NLEx Corp. said. “The work is moving upstream from the bay, and we are watching the sheet piles perform through the next rainfall.” /cb