NLEX to close Pampanga’s Sto. Tomas lane

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Corp. is set to close the Sto. Tomas lane in Pampanga as part of its ongoing construction of a new interchange.

In an advisory released on Saturday, the NLEX Corp. will close the innermost lanes of the expressway’s southbound and northbound sections in the area.

The company added that these lanes will be impassable “to give way to the construction of Sto. Tomas Interchange” by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The company pointed out that the 500-meter portions of NLEX’s leftmost lanes after Pau River bridge (northbound) and after San Matias Bridge (southbound) will be closed at the following schedules:

21 April — 10 p.m. to 22 April — 4 a.m.

22 April — 10 p.m. to 23 April — 4 a.m.

23 April — 10 p.m. to 24 April — 4 a.m.

24 April — 10 p.m. to 25 April — 4 a.m.

According to DPWH Region III director Engr. Roseller A. Tolentino, the Sto. Tomas Interchange is part of the Greater Pampanga Circumferential Road Masterplan and will connect to the planned Lubao-Guagua-Minalin-Sto. Tomas Bypass Road project of the DPWH.

He added that the interchange will be used to access other major infrastructure projects in the town including a new hospital and a university, bringing more progress to the municipality.

Despite being a DPWH project, the operation and maintenance of the interchange will be done by the DPWH, TRB and NLEX Corporation, with the help of the Sto. Tomas LGU and the 4th District of Pampanga.