MANILA — The North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) said Thursday it has finished installing the 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, following the incident yesterday that caused heavy congestion.

NLEX said the usable lanes are now three.

A zipper lane will also be opened in the southbound direction once situation allows, it added.

The bridge was damaged after a truck rammed into the structure Wednesday morning. According to reports, the truck was 4.9 meters high while the vertical clearance of the bridge is only 4.25 meters.

The force caused the truck's female passenger to crash through the windshield and drop to the street.

The accident has led to the closure of the two middle lanes at the area.

Two girders of the bridge were also loosened, which was then struck by another truck around 2 a.m. on the same day.

The truck driver that first hit the structure will face charges of reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property.

Repair of Marilao Interchange Bridge to take 2-3 weeks

NLEX said the repairs might take up to two weeks, but it committed to maximizing efforts to accomplish the repairs before the Holy Week.