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Heavy traffic in NLEX caused by flooding: exec

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Vehicles pass through the Balintawak tollway along the North Luzon Expressway in Caloocan City on October 22, 2020, more than a week before tollways go fully cashless on November 2, 2020. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File." src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/news/12/09/20201022-nlex-balintawak-tollway-md-6984.jpg"/><figcaption>Vehicles pass through the Balintawak tollway along the North Luzon Expressway in Caloocan City on October 22, 2020, more than a week before tollways go fully cashless on November 2, 2020. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File.</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — The heavy traffic currently being experienced in the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) could be attributed to the flooding in some areas up north, an official said on Saturday. NLEX traffic management chief Robin Ignacio said flooding in these areas could persist until early next week, which was why they have fortified their sandbagging in flooded areas such as in San Simon, Pampanga. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/04/23/death-toll-from-heavy-egay-habagat-hits-29-ndrrmc">Death toll from heavy Egay, habagat rises to 29: NDRRMC</a></li></ul>Ignacio said they have also started siphoning flood waters through their pumps.&quot;Tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang pag-pump out namin at pag-siphon doon sa area para tuloy-tuloy nating mapababa ang tubig,&quot; Ignacio said. &quot;Dahil dito sa pagbaha, tuloy-tuloy po na mabagal ang daloy ng traffic natin doon. &#x27;Yung northbound ngayon we have around 3 kilometers slow-moving traffic,&quot; he added. The southbound lane so far is the most affected of the flooding, which reached around 11.8 inches. &quot;&#x27;Yung pa-Manila, yung southbound section, mayroon naman tayong more than 9 kilometers na slow-moving,&quot; he said. &quot;&#x27;Yun ang mas matindi ngayon. Halos araw-araw ganyan, bahagya lang umiikli... kapag madaling araw pero mayroon pa rin.&quot; It is the &quot;first time&quot; that flood waters in San Simon, the official noted, spilled to the expressway. &quot;Hindi umaabot yung tubig diyan pero sa taas talaga ng tubig ngayon sa mga bandang San Simon dahil umapaw ang Pampanga River, talagang yung area ng San Simon, mahirap humanap ngayon ng daanan,&quot; he said. Traffic buildup stretches from San Simon, Pampanga to Candaba Viaduct in the northbound and would somehow affect those going to Pulilan in Bulacan. &quot;Umaabot sa Pulilan, kasi [yun] ang huling bayan ng Bulacan bago mag-Candaba Viaduct then Pampanga,&quot; he said. &quot;Yung advise natin sa matataas na sasakyan, puwede na sila umexit ng Pulilan and then via McArthur, mag-reentry na lang sila, San Fernando na,&quot; he added. Angie Blanco, an officer at the Pampanga&#x27;s Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, backed Ignacio&#x27;s statement that it was the first time flood waters in San Simon spilled over NLEX.Blanco said coastal barangays in Macabebe, Masantol, and Lubao experience flooding during high tides, and this situation was aggravated by the flood waters from the strong rains.&quot;Nagkakasalubong &#x27;yung high tide at tubig baha natin,&quot; she said over Radyo 630. &quot;Catch basin kami, doon nagpopondo ang tubig at hindi makalabas sa Pampanga river dahil silted ang ating river. Kailangan na ma-dredge ang Pampanga river palabas... ng Masantol para makalabas sa Manila Bay,&quot; she added. The recent rains and floods in Northern Luzon and some areas of Metro Manila were caused by super typhoon Egay and the southwest monsoon or the habagat. <figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2734790" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

NLEX traffic management chief Robin Ignacio said flooding in these areas could persist until early next week.