You know the pattern. Cars start trickling out of Metro Manila on Palm Sunday; those early planners using up their vacation leaves. By Tuesday or Wednesday night there's noticeable buildup in the tollgates as people head out of town to escape of visit family. By Good Friday it's peace on earth, as everyone has reached—or stayed—where they're supposed to be.
Whatever the situation, SMC Expressways said it is ready for Holy Week 2025. San Miguel's infrastructure arm said it has put in place traffic management plans for its tollways, namely the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), the Skyway System, NAIA Expressway, and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX). It has also coordinated this with various local government units.
SMC Expressways said it anticipates heavy traffic particularly at interchanges linking its tollways to national highways and other expressways, and has advised motorists to plan their trips well for this week.
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“Our instruction to our operations personnel is to make sure that our traffic management plans are in sync with the different towns and cities so that traffic flows smoothly along public roads. When public roads are congested, motorists along our carriageways are also affected as traffic can extend to the exits and onto the main line,” explained SMC chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang.
“We hope that through close and constant collaboration with traffic management teams of LGUs, we can help reduce traffic buildups especially at critical points of convergence within our towns and cities,” he added.
The company will increase the deployment of tollway personnel for patrols and emergency responders, to assist those in need. SMC also reminded motorists to make sure their Autosweep RFID accounts are topped, to avoid unnecessary queueing at toll plazas. Reloading Autosweep RFID accounts is widely available through online banking apps, e-wallets, over-the-counter desks, and payment kiosks.
For motorists who have yet to register for an Autosweep RFID account, the company reiterated that stickers remain free of charge, and users can load the exact amount of toll they will use. Replacement of stickers which have deteriorated over time also remain free of charge.
The company also advised cash-paying motorists to switch to Autosweep RFID electronic toll collection, as this is a much faster, more convenient method of payment that also contributes to shorter queueing times at toll plazas. You also kind of have no choice. We passed by the Mamplasan exit along SLEX recently and there was no more cash option. You have to have a sticker installed right after exiting.
Meanwhile, SMC Infrastructure stopped all roadworks and construction activities at expressways to help ensure traffic flow will not be disrupted. This started 12pm on Friday, April 11, and will end at 10pm on Monday, April 21.
Further assisting Holy Week preparations on major expressways is Petron Corporation’s Lakbay Alalay program, the country’s longest-running motorist assistance initiative.
Petron will provide free motorist assistance, clean restrooms, and limited freebies from brand partners at Petron Marilao (NLEX), Petron San Pedro (SLEX), and Petron TPLEX northbound on April 16 and 17.
Finally, motorists are also reminded to follow speed limits along expressways, as well as to keep a safe braking distance, and to always wear their seatbelts. SMC’s at-grade or ground-level expressways have a maximum speed limit of 100kph for Class 1 vehicles, and 80kph for Classes 2 and 3 vehicles. Elevated expressways such as the Skyway System and NAIA Expressway have a maximum speed limit of 80kph, except at curved portions of the carriageway which have a 60kph speed limit for safety reasons.
Wherever you're headed this week, stay safe and cool out there.
