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# NLEX San Simon Fully Reopens After Flood Crisis — But the Bigger Test Comes With the Next Habagat Surge
- URL: https://www.wwconemedia.com/nlex-san-simon-fully-reopens-after-flood-crisis-but-the-bigger-test-comes-with-the-next-habagat-surge/
- Published: 2026-09-08T07:32:35.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-08T07:32:35.000Z
- Author: WWC NEWSDESK
- Tags: ASIA, PHILIPPINES, POLITICS

**MANILA, Philippines —** All three lanes in both directions of the North Luzon Expressway at the flood-hit Tulaoc and San Simon sections in Pampanga were reopened to all classes of vehicles Tuesday morning, September 8, marking a major turnaround after days of flooding, lane closures and punishing traffic jams along one of Luzon’s most important transport corridors.

But reopening the highway may be the easier part.

The more difficult question is whether the emergency defenses installed along the expressway can withstand another major rise in surrounding waterways while the southwest monsoon remains a threat.

## All three lanes finally passable

NLEX Corporation reported that all three northbound and southbound lanes at Tulaoc and the San Simon Interchange were open and passable to all vehicle types as of 8 a.m. Tuesday.

That represented a dramatic improvement from just days earlier.

On September 5, Lane 3 remained impassable in both directions in portions of Tulaoc and San Simon, while restrictions were still being imposed on other lanes because of water buildup. The Libtong Exit was also temporarily closed.

At the height of the disruption, motorists faced hours-long delays as floodwaters inundated parts of the expressway.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that some travelers were stranded for nearly eight hours during the August 29 gridlock. Even after conditions improved, the 20-kilometer Pulilan-to-San Fernando stretch was taking around 40 minutes to cross, compared with a normal travel time of roughly 20 to 25 minutes.

## What finally pushed the water back?

The reopening followed an intensive flood-response operation involving NLEX Corporation and several government agencies.

NLEX and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority installed continuous flood-barrier lines, reinforced shoulders in San Simon and Tulaoc, deployed sandbags and operated high-capacity pumps to move accumulated water away from active traffic lanes.

One MMDA pumping unit was positioned around Kilometer 56, while crews installed interlocking barriers and modular flood-defense structures along exposed portions of the highway.

NLEX also rented additional heavy-duty pumps after its existing pumping capacity proved insufficient during the late-August flooding.

The response eventually expanded beyond an ordinary highway maintenance operation.

The Department of Public Works and Highways began implementing additional measures after Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon inspected the San Simon area. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also ordered government agencies to act on the congestion and improve warning systems for motorists.

## The problem wasn't simply rain falling on NLEX

The flooding was linked to days of heavy Habagat rains that raised water levels across Pampanga and caused the Pampanga River to overflow, reducing the surrounding area's ability to discharge water.

NLEX said this made pumping considerably more difficult because the expressway was surrounded by already elevated water levels.

NLEX's account of the late-August event said a dike northeast of the San Simon Interchange gave way on August 29, allowing floodwater to travel overland toward the carriageway and contribute to lane closures between Pulilan and San Fernando.

That distinction matters.

Pumps can remove water from the expressway, but they become far less effective when the places receiving that water are themselves flooded.

## An old vulnerability is becoming a bigger infrastructure question

NLEX has already tried raising parts of the corridor.

The pavement around Tulaoc was elevated by about **0.7 meter in 2023** as part of efforts to make the expressway more resilient to flooding. In 2025, the DPWH also began work to elevate the Tulaoc Overpass Bridge to create additional vertical clearance.

But the latest flooding has pushed authorities toward considering more aggressive solutions.

Among the longer-term measures now under study are additional pavement elevation, sheet piling along exposed areas, permanent high-capacity pumping and the deepening of the Tulaoc River to increase its ability to discharge water.

NLEX officials have also discussed the possibility of a large water-impounding area where floodwaters could temporarily be stored before being pumped out once surrounding water levels fall.

That suggests authorities increasingly see the problem not simply as water accumulating on a highway, but as part of a larger drainage and flood-management challenge affecting the surrounding Pampanga basin.

## Motorists received toll relief

As the flooding crippled traffic, NLEX introduced a toll rebate covering the San Fernando–Pulilan stretch in both directions beginning at noon on September 2.

The announced rebate amounts were **₱113 for Class 1 vehicles, ₱281 for Class 2 and ₱338 for Class 3**, with qualifying amounts credited to motorists' RFID accounts after passage.

NLEX originally said the relief would remain in effect **until all lanes became passable to all vehicle classes**. With all three lanes now reported open to every vehicle class, that stated condition has been reached, although a separate current announcement formally confirming the rebate's termination had not been located as of publication.

## Reopening doesn't end the scrutiny

The crisis has also triggered political questions about why flooding continues to threaten such a critical transport artery.

A House leader has called for an inquiry into recurring flooding along NLEX, adding pressure for authorities and the tollway operator to explain whether existing flood-control and drainage systems are adequate for increasingly severe weather events.

The concern is particularly significant because NLEX is not simply a commuter highway. It is a major freight, logistics and passenger corridor connecting Metro Manila with Central and Northern Luzon.

A prolonged shutdown or bottleneck in Pampanga can therefore ripple far beyond the motorists caught in traffic.

Food deliveries, provincial bus services, industrial shipments and supply chains moving between Manila and northern provinces can all be affected when one critical section becomes impassable.

## The next storm will be the real test

For now, motorists have their highway back.

The barriers are in place. Pumps remain available. The lanes are open.

But NLEX and MMDA have indicated that equipment and personnel will remain deployed and that the flood-defense system will continue to be reinforced throughout the rainy season. The two organizations have also established protocols governing pumping responsibilities, lane closures and public advisories.

That could prove crucial because the weather threat has not disappeared. PAGASA said the southwest monsoon was expected to continue affecting Luzon and the Visayas this week.

So the reopening of San Simon is an important victory for motorists — but not yet proof that the flooding problem has been solved.

**The real test will come when Pampanga's waterways rise again: will the newly reinforced NLEX stay open, or will San Simon once more become the choke point that brings one of Luzon's busiest highways to a halt?**

WWC ONE MEDIA M.J.E