THE NLEX Corp. announced the completion of the road-raising projects in Dinalupihan and roadway lighting and safety devices installed in Hermosa, both in Bataan.

Motorists traveling on the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) are expected to have safer travels as NLEX and Bataan officials marked the milestone with a drive-through inspection of the newly completed projects on Friday, December 2.

Leading the event were Hermosa Mayor Antonio Joseph Inton, Dinalupihan Mayor German Santos Jr., Vice Mayor Fernando Manalili, Bataan Board Member Romano del Rosario representing Gov. Jose Enrique Garcia 3rd, NLEX Corp. President and General Manager J. Luigi L. Bautista, Vice President for Asset Management Jennifer Jane Go, Vice President for Communication and Stakeholder Management Donna Marcelo, and Vice President for Operations West Dionisio.

Earlier this year, the tollway company started the P150-million road-raising project in a 640-meter stretch of SCTEx Dinalupihan to lessen flooding.

It raised the elevation of the road as high as 1.8 meters and constructed additional box culverts and new drainage structures to ensure the safe passage of motorists even during inclement weather.

The new culverts can handle huge amounts of water and help drain the water easily, preventing flooding. The company also installed vetiver grass to reduce soil erosion.

'By raising this part of the expressway, we are not only providing safer journeys to our motorists, but we are also enabling our infrastructure to be more efficient and capable of withstanding severe weather events in the future,' said NLEX Corp. President and General Manager J. Luigi Bautista.

Bautista said NLEX Corp. also installed LED lights and safety devices between the SCTEx Dinalupihan Spur and Roman Highway in Hermosa, Bataan, to guide motorists, especially at night.

He added that last August, NLEX and the local government of Hermosa inked a memorandum of agreement for these enhancements.

Covering approximately 2 kilometers, the improvement projects in Hermosa include light poles, directional signs, bollards and reflectorized metal strips.

'We are also aiming to make night driving better through new brighter lights and signs, aside from making our roads more reliable. With these, we can reduce potential hazards caused by poor visibility and lack of traffic signs,' Bautista added.

NLEX Corp. is a subsidiary of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the toll road arm of the Metro Pacific Investments Corp.