MPTC grants toll-free passage during holidays

Motorists will get free toll passage, more open lanes, and additional roadside assistance on major Luzon expressways as Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) rolls out holiday traffic measures for Christmas and the New Year.

MPTC said over the weekend that tolls will be waived on NLEX, SCTEX, NLEX Connector, CAVITEX and CALAX from 10 p.m. on 24 December to 6 a.m. on 25 December, and from 10 p.m. on 31 December to 6 a.m. on 1 January.

Holiday season goal

“Our goal this holiday season is to have motorists spend less time on the road and more time with their families,” MPIC and MPTC chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan said.

“We’ve prepared early, deployed full manpower, and have initiated barrier-up operations, counterflow measures, free towing services, and toll-free passage. The toll-free initiative is our way of giving back to motorists. We hope it helps ease their travels during this holiday season,” he added.

Roadworks, lane closures suspended

To reduce congestion, all roadworks and lane closures will be suspended on Friday until 12 noon in January 2026, except for emergency repairs.

MPTC said all lanes in major toll plazas will remain open, supported by additional traffic, toll, emergency and medical teams.

NFlex lanes

On NLEX, express or counterflow lanes may be activated depending on traffic conditions. These lanes will be open to Class 1 RFID-only vehicles, with northbound operations on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and southbound operations on Sundays from 2 p.m. and early Mondays from 5 a.m.

MPTC also encouraged motorists to ensure their RFID accounts are active and sufficiently loaded, noting that RFID lanes allow faster transactions during peak traffic.