NLEX completes systemwide toll plaza upgrade ahead of travel rush

NLEX Corp. has completed a systemwide upgrade of toll collection equipment across all lanes of the North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, and NLEX Connector ahead of the peak holiday travel season.

The infrastructure modernization replaced radio-frequency identification tag readers, lane processing computers, and central servers at every toll plaza along the expressway network.

As part of the project, the tollway operator installed 127 new Neology RFID antennas to improve tag readability.

NLEX Corp. also reconfigured 127 lanes into an advance-read setup that scans vehicle tags at least 16 feet before reaching the toll barrier, complying with standards set by the Toll Regulatory Board.

The company replaced 253 lane computers with updated operating systems to accelerate transaction processing and comply with current cybersecurity standards.

Plaza servers and video enforcement systems were also upgraded to process real-time transaction records and account balances faster.

Under the upgraded AMS 2.5 platform, the Easytrip account database now connects directly to individual toll plazas, accelerating balance updates on toll fare indicators at lane barriers.

"Motorists will not see most of this work. It is antennas, computers, and servers," said Luis S. Reñon, NLEX Corp. president and general manager. "What they should notice is the lane. The tag reads, the balance is current, and the barrier opens."

NLEX Corp. is also phasing in Automatic License Plate Recognition cameras linked to the central toll collection system, prioritizing high-density entry and exit plazas.

"We finished the upgrade on every lane before the Undas and Christmas travel season," Reñon said. "The plate-recognition work continues plaza by plaza."