REACTION PAPER

Introduction

NLEX (North Luzon Expressway) was formerly known as North Diversion Road, Marcelo H. Del Pilar
Superhighway and Radial Road 8. It was maintained by Tollways Management Corporation and
connects Metro Manila to the provinces of the Central Luzon. It was one of the two branches of the
Radial Road 8 (R-8) of Metro Manila and it was built in the 1960s.

The expressway begins in Quezon City at cloverleaf interchange with EDSA: a continuation of Andres
Bonifacio Avenue. It then passes through Quezon, Caloocan and Valenzuela City in Metro Manila,
Meycauayan, Marilao, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiginto, Malolos, Plaridel, and Pulilan in Bulacan. San
Simon, San Fernando, Mexico and Angeles in Pampanga. The expressway currently ends at
Mabalacat and merges with the McArthur Highway, which continues northward into the rest of Central
and Northern Luzon.

Different mechanisms used by NLEX and its command center

Traffic Management

Traffic Control Room. The Traffic Control Rooms monitors traffic in the expressway. The Control room
can also receive calls from distressed motorists using the Customer Service Hotline. NLEX has 8
telephones and 3 cellphones that attend to the emergency calls. Headsets are also provided to the
traffic control personnel that have a direct link to the radio of the traffic patrols.

Traffic Patrols. NLEX is patrolled 24 hours a day. Traffic patrols provide motorists with any roadside
assistance necessary in any emergency situation

Emergency Call Boxes (ECBs). Emergency Call Boxes connect motorists to the Traffic Control Room.
In the Open System, they are one kilometer apart; while in the Closed System, they are two kilometers
apart.

Closed Circuit Television. The CCTV cameras enable the tollway’s traffic management system to keep
track of traffic and other developments inside the NLEX and to enable tollways traffic teams to respond
quickly to motorists in need.

Variable Message Signs. Digital outdoor signs along the expressway flash safety reminders and timely
traffic updates.

Portable Weighing Scales. Computerized scales help traffic enforcers keep in check overloaded trucks
which may cause accidents within the expressway.

Safety Features

Closed Circuit Television Cameras. There are 48 CCTV cameras strategically positioned along the
NLEX to monitor traffic and 38 CCTV cameras to check goings-on inside the toll booths.

Variable Message Signs. 27 digital outdoor display signs flash safety reminders and traffic updates
daily.
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Speed Radar Guns. Speed radars are installed to detect vehicles going over the speed limit of 100 kph.

Impact Attenuators. Six sets of impact attenuators, the only one of their kind in the Philippines, have
been installed at the NLEX’s Balintawak and Bocaue Toll Plazas. The impact attenuators protect both
crew and equipment from errant vehicles.

Lighting Arrestors. 14 lightning arrestors protect the expressway’s communication system.

Speed Stopping Lane. Located at the northbound approach to the Balintawak Toll Plaza is a gravel
arrester bed that stops short a vehicle’s momentum when its brakes fail.

Solid Wall Fence. The entire expressway is fenced to keep pedestrians and wayward animals from
crossing the NLEX.

Guard Rails. Vehicles are protected from going off deep ravine by adequate guard rails on shoulders.

Rumble Strips. Thermoplastic lane markings painted across some choice spots alert inattentive or
drowsy drivers.

Introduction

The SCTEX (Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway) is a 93.77-kilometer four-lane expressway north

of Manila. It was built by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), a government
owned and controlled corporation under the Office of the President. Started on April 5, 2005, the Subic–
Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) is the country’s longest expressway at 93.77 kilometers.
Commercial operations started on April 28, 2008, with the opening of the Subic-Clark Segment and
Zone A of the portion of Clark-Tarlac Segment. The opening of Zones B and C of the remaining Clark-
Tarlac Segment on July 25, 2008 signaled the full operations of the SCTEX.[1]

The SCTEX seeks to transform the Central Luzon region into a world-class logistics hub in the Asia-
Pacific region through the integration of economic activities in the Subic Bay Freeport, the Clark
Freeport Zone, and the Central Techno Park in Tarlac and by linking major infrastructures such as the
Seaport in Subic and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Clark.

The southern terminus of the SCTEX is at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales, it passes through
the Clark Freeport Zone in two interchanges: Clark North and Clark South. The expressway is linked to
the North Luzon Expressway through the Mabalacat Interchange, and its northern terminus is at Brgy.
Amucao in Tarlac City, Tarlac.

Methods like construction of ripraps are made to serve as retaining walls especially for cut section
along mountainsides to reduce the risks of soil erosion as well as the landslides. Along the SCTEX
coconets were also used. They are used to reinforce slopes due to cut and fill sections. Gravity
method,” an engineering methodology is also used in the said project. It was used to scrape and push
small portions of the mountain and let the rocks fall to seek a stable slope or angle of repose.
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Furthermore, hydroseeding was also established to prevent soil erosion as well as to provide
reinforcements.

Pacific Concrete and Asphalt Batching Plant

Pacific Concrete Supplies INC. is a DPWH accredited batch plant located in Marilao, Bulacan. They
provide asphalt and concrete in different construction of roads and Highways. ISO certificate was also
awarded in the said company.

Methodologies used in Asphalt Batch Plant

Aggregate is removed from storage, or stockpiles, in controlled amounts and passed through a dryer
where it is heated and dried. The aggregate then passes over a screening unit that separates the
material into different size fractions and deposits them into bins for hot storage. The aggregate and
mineral, when used, are then withdrawn in controlled amounts, to make up one batch for mixing. The
entire combination of aggregate is dumped into a mixing chamber called a pugmill. Then the asphalt,
which has also been weighed, is thoroughly mixed with the aggregate in the pugmill. After mixing, the
material is emptied from the pugmill in one batch

In establishing mixing times for asphalt concrete by the Ross Count Method, it is necessary first to
become familiar with two definitions involved. “Dry Mixing Time” is the time between the release of the
dry batch into the pugmill and the release of the asphalt into the pugmill. “Wet Mixing Time” is the time
between the release of the asphalt into the pugmill and the opening of the discharge gate.

The purpose of establishing a mixing time is to permit the operation of the asphalt concrete plant with
the least mixing time cycle that is consistent with the production of a mix in which: the coarse particles
are completely coated; the graduation requirements are being met; and other factors are satisfied. The
wet mixing time may vary from plant to plant, from mix to mix, and with the condition of the mixing
equipment.

A dry mixing time of up to fifteen (15) seconds may be required by the Engineer to accomplish the
degree of aggregate distribution necessary to obtain complete and uniform coating of the aggregate
with bitumen. The lowest mixing time possible, that will still produce a mix that meets all Department
requirements, should be used. However, the wet mixing cycle shall not be less than 20 seconds.

Equipment present in the pacific batching plant includes loader, batch plant, backhoe, excavators and
the like.