FLOODING and water buildup brought about by recent monsoon rains caused heavy traffic along the northbound lane of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), stranding thousands of motorists for over 20 hours.
Traffic slowed along portions of the North Luzon Expressway on Monday afternoon, Aug. 31, as flooding in San Simon, Pampanga affected the flow of vehicles.
The high water levels and local road flooding near Meycauayan and San Simon in Pampanga reportedly forced pumping and sandbagging operations which caused the slow down of vehicle speeds.
Traffic congestion and traffic build-up, reaching around 3km southbound near the Tulaoc Overpass, are due to restricted lane passability.
Lane 3 is not passable and Lane 2 is limited to Class 2 and 3 vehicles only, while Lane 1 has recently been opened to SUVs.
The stranded motorists complained of hunger, tiredness, running out of fuel and lack of means to answer the call of nature, with most of them also missing appointments, work and classes.
The NLEX Corporation said it has implemented counterflow measures and zipper lanes (such as from Valenzuela or Libtong, Meycauayan) to manage northbound and southbound congestion.
It also reportedly issued advisories and rerouting guidelines for Class 1 vehicles passing through the San Simon section.
