BCDA, MNTC formally seal P600M toll deal

THE STATE-RUN Bases Conversion and Development Authority yesterday signed the P600-million toll integration agreement with the Manila North Tollways Corp., a move seen to speed up the queues on the exit plazas of the North Luzon Expressway and the Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway.

In a statement, the BCDA explained that the toll integration, the cost of which will be shouldered by the MNTC, is expected to further improve lane throughput to 800 transactions per hour from the current 200 transactions.

The said integration will specifically involve the conversion of the separate NLEx and SCTEx toll collection systems into a single system that should allow for more efficient toll collection and faster movement of traffic for motorists. This will require the installation and removal of temporary plazas and the construction of interchange plazas that will also require the widening of existing entry and exit ramps.

According to BCDA president and chief executive officer Arnel Paciano D. Casanova, the toll integration agreement was signed a week ahead of the February 12 deadline set by Senate President Franklin Drilon. This agreement will now be submitted to the Toll Regulatory Board for approval.

Casanova explained that the actual integration may even be faster because on their part, the BCDA board had formally approved the toll integration proposal on Wednesday, clearing all hurdles to toll integration, while the MNTC will soon be awarded the contract for the SCTEx as well.

BCDA was referring to the contract for the management, operation and maintenance of the 94-kilometer SCTEx, which is set to be awarded to the MNTC after the government agency failed to secure bids from other companies to challenge the offer made previously by the MNTC.

Under the terms of reference for the price challenge, the agreement shall be awarded to the MNTC if the government does not receive any counter offer. At stake for the SCTEx contract were the rights, interest and obligations in the management, operation and maintenance of the four-lane divided expressway that passes through the provinces of Bataan, Pampanga and Tarlac, and which is directly linked to the North Luzon Expressway. The contract will be in the form of a business and operating agreement (BOA) that would cover a period of 28 years, or until 2043.