DOTr Secretary Vince Dizon, March 13, 2025. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATE) —  Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon demanded Friday that the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) suspend its toll collection in its Marilao segment while the repair of a bridge damaged by a road mishap was ongoing.

"I am demanding from NLEX na habang ginagawa ito at naaberya ang mga kababayan natin, para doon sa area segment na may aberya, ilibre muna nila ang toll, walang babayaran ang mga kababayn natin habang ginagawa nila 'to," he told reporters. 

"They owe it to the public na huwag muna sila maningil," he said.

Dizon added that the repair of the bridge should take only one week, instead of the original 2 to 3 weeks reported by authorities.

Repair of Marilao Interchange Bridge to take 2-3 weeks

"Hindi katanggap-tanggap yun. So kailangan matapos yan, pilitin nilang matapos in one week," Dizon said.

In a statement, NLEx said it expects to reopen al 4 affected lanes of the expressway by the end of March.

NLEX said it installed a vertical steel support on sections beneath the Marilao Interchange Bridge, while an additional lane in the northbound route was opened to improve the traffic flow.

NLEX said it would add more gantries or metal barriers along its toll roads to prevent bridge strike incidents from happening again.

Some lanes along NLEX are also closed to traffic for the Marilao Interchange's repair.

From Lawang Bato in Valenzuela to the Marilao Interchange, three lanes are passable. Approx. A zipper lane is also open after the Valenzuela Interchange to after Marilao Interchange. 

Meanwhile, from the Marilao Interchange going to MacArthur Highway and San Juan del Monte, only Class 1 vehicles are allowed to pass.

The Marilao Interchange bridge was damaged early Wednesday morning after an overheight truck rammed into the structure—triggering lane closures and intense traffic congestion.