DPWH helps NLEX prevent flood in San Simon segment

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – Around 733,000 cubic meters of water hyacinths and silt have been removed from the Tulaoc River in San Simon town in this province, making the portion of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) there less vulnerable to flooding, a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) official said.

Three dredgers continued to be utilized along the Tulaoc River to “improve the flow of water during the rainy season,” Melquiades Sto. Domingo, assistant regional director of the DPWH in Central Luzon, said in a news forum last Tuesday.

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In August 2023, the river overflowed and slowed down traffic along the north and south bound lanes of NLEX as water rose to 68 centimeters.

NLEX Corp. had reported doing preliminary works to prevent flooding by raising by 0.7 meters a span of 200 meters under the Tulaoc overpass and improving the drainage in that segment.

Sto. Domingo said the DPWH is raising the Tulaoc overpass by 1.5 meters.

The project, with an initial budget of P118 this year, has been given notice to proceed and has been bid out. The DPWH is still securing permits from NLEX Corp., including detour sites. INQ