SMC Expressways ready for Holy Week traffic surge

San Miguel Corp. Infrastructure is all set for this year's Holy Week rush

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) Infrastructure has announced they are ready for the anticipated surge of motorists along its expressways this Holy Week as thousands of Filipinos leave Metro Manila and head to the provinces.

The company 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), and coordinated this with various local government units.

SMC also shared that 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 the upcoming holidays.

“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. 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,” said SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang.

SMC also wishes to remind motorists of measures they can take to contribute to the overall improvement of the traffic situation along expressways. This includes ensuring their Autosweep RFID accounts are topped up to avoid unnecessary queuing at toll plazas. Reloading Autosweep RFID accounts is widely available through online banking apps, e-wallets, over-the-counter desks, and payment kiosks.

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 queuing times at toll plazas. Meanwhile, SMC Infrastructure stopped all roadworks and construction activities at expressways to help ensure that traffic flow will not be disrupted. This started 12:00 PM on Friday, April 11, and will end at 10:00 PM on Monday, April 21.

Further enhancing Holy Week preparations on major expressways is Petron Corporation's Lakbay Alalay program, the country’s longest-running motorist assistance initiative. With it, 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. On April 20, Lakbay Alalay will be at Petron Bocaue (NLEX), Petron KM 44 northbound, and TPLEX southbound.

If you're heading to the provinces this Holy Week, be sure to check yourself and your vehicle to see if they are roadworthy.