BCDA to open new interchange at Subic-Clark-Tarlac tollway

SUBIC FREE PORT -- The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) will open the Floridablanca interchange of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) today.

At 94 kilometers, the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway is the country’s longest tollway.

The state agency said this will be the eleventh interchange of the tollway, making it more accessible to motorists in Central Luzon.

In a statement, Robert C. Gervacio, BCDA program manager for operational support services and SCTEx spokesman, said the opening of the interchange would provide Floridablanca, the second-largest rice-producing town of Pampanga that is also noted for its sugar farms, with a more efficient way of transporting produce through the new interchange.

Motorists, meanwhile, will now have the option of passing through the traffic-free SCTEx instead of the old Porac-Floridablanca-Dinalupihan local road.

“Even residents of Angeles and Mabalacat should find the new interchange highly convenient,” Mr. Gervacio said.

The opening of the interchange is expected to further boost business growth and employment opportunities in the Central Luzon logistics hub, he added. Access to and from Floridablanca and its neighbo-ring municipalities, will now be faster and easier, he pointed out.

To prepare for the interchange’s opening and ensure that traffic will run smoothly, system tests with the assigned tellers were conducted, the SCTEx spokesman added.

Floridablanca, which is Spanish for “white flower,” also hosts the Basa Air Base of the Philippine Air Force.

The town is thickly populated and, thus, easing the movement of people and produce though the new interchange should be considered a boon for the locals, Mr. Gervacio said.

The Floridablanca interchange is a 96-hectare tollway facility located a little more than 33 kilometers from Subic’s Tipo Junction.

The state-owned SCTEx is a 94-kilometer tollway built to interconnect the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, and Central Technopark in Tarlac.

It is the longest expressway in the country with 11 interchanges, four major bridges, 29 minor bridges, 44 underpasses and 303 drainage culverts. -- R. Garcia

Clark SCTEX interchange opens today

It’s all systems go for Sunday's opening of the Clark South Interchange, the second of four additional service structures of the 93.7-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) announced Saturday.

Last Dec. 23, the government-run BCDA opened the Clark North Interchange that provides direct access from SCTEX to Clark, and vice versa. It is connected to the 3.8-kilometer Panday Pira access road, which leads to the northern area of the Clark Freeport Zone.

The remaining two SCTEX interchanges — one each in Porac and Floridablanca towns in Pampanga — are due for completion by mid-2009.

With the completion of the North and South interchanges already in place, access to the 93.7 kilometer SCTEX connecting three key economic zones in Luzon — Subic Bay Freeport in Olongapo City, Clark Freeport in Angeles City and the Central Techno Park in La Paz, Tarlac — has become much easier and faster.

The Clark South Interchange will serve as the entry and exit points to and from the main zone of the Clark Freeport Zone and the SCTEX. The main zone of the Clark Freeport Zone comprises some 4,000 hectares where the Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) and Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) are located.

Business leaders cite new SCTEx interchange

TOP business leaders in Central Luzon have hailed the recent opening of the Clark North Interchange of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), saying it “augurs well for the full development of Clark as a premier investors’ haven in Asia and the larger socioeconomic growth of Central Luzon.”

Levy Laus, chairman of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PamCham) said the newly opened interchange provides direct access to the Clark Free Port and will “dramatically improve the transport requirements of Clark’s locators.”

“This is a welcome development,” said Rene Romero, PamCham president, citing the benefits of “faster and cheaper trip from Clark to Subic because of the Clark North Interchange.”

Laus and Romero lead the premier organization of businessmen in Pampanga, representing over 300 business organizations.

The Clark North Interchange was opened on December 23 by the state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), builder of the SCTEx. It was viewed as a timely response to the clamor among Clark locators and other travelers for an easy access to and exit from the 94-kilometer SCTEx.

Laus, who is also chairman of the Laus Group of Companies, said he has always been “bullish about the economic future of Central Luzon, and the opening of the Clark North Interchange has even made our economic prospects in the region brighter and bigger.”

Laus was the immediate part president of the Clark Development Corp., which at present has 787 local and foreign locators whose investments in the free port runs into billions of pesos.

Romero underscored the resulting better and faster mobility not only of locators but other sectors in Pampanga and the rest of Central Luzon provinces. Romero is also chairman of Advocacy for the Development of Central Luzon, an alliance of 60 organizations in six provinces in Central Luzon, which has been a staunch supporter of the SCTEx project.

Laus pointed out that exiting the SCTex to enter Clark and vice versa is now a breeze. While this is definitely good news for both the locators and other people of Clark, it also shortens the route to Subic. The vision of connecting the two major free ports—Clark and Subic—has been realized, he stressed.

Both leaders expressed hope the three other interchanges being constructed by BCDA will open soon. These are the Clark South Interchange (accessing the Yokohama facility), Porac and Floridablanca.

BCDA revealed that the Clark South Interchange, that spills to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in Angeles City, will be completed by the end of the first quarter of this year. Two more interchanges in nearby Porac and Floridablanca towns, also in Pampanga, are expected to be in operation in early June this year.

The opening of these interchanges will definitely be a boon to businessmen and residents of the southern part of Pampanga, Romero said.

Both leaders are looking forward to “heightened business activities in the area generated in large part by the efficient road network.” Written by Joel Mapiles Business Mirror

Clark North Interchange opens

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority, builder and operator of the 94-kilometer Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway, unwrapped a package of Christmas treats for the public with the completion of the 3.8-kilometer Panday Pira road and the Clark North Interchange designed to facilitate mobility within the Clark Freeport Zone complex.

The BCDA said both facilities would strengthen the SCTEX role as a key player in the development of Central Luzon into a premier investors’ haven in the Asia Pacific rim.

BCDA executive vice-president Isaac Puno III, in a press briefing at the Clark Freeport Zone, said the state-run corporation is the people’s “long-term partner as we seek to achieve development goals where Central Luzon would be the most progressive, most dynamic and strongest economy in the Philippines.”

SCTEX spokesman and program manager for operational support and services Robert Gervacio said the Panday Pira road and the Clark North Interchange will serve as the northern access to Clark from the SCTEX.

SCTEX program manager for engineering and construction Eduardo Lena said the construction of the Panday Pira access road inside Clark opens to vehicular traffic in time for the opening of the Clark North Interchange. Journal online

Clark interchange to open before Christmas

CLARK FREEPORT -- The nearing completion of Panday Pira road that connects to Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) will be an early Christmas treat for motorists.

Officials of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), builder of the 94-kilometer SCTEx, told a press conference Thursday that the opening of the Panday Pira stretch would pave the way for the full operation of the Clark North Interchange.

The 3.8-kilometer long road serves as the main access to Clark for motorists coming from the towns of Tarlac and Mabalacat. According to Gen. Robert Gervacio, BCDA spokesperson, the road is already 66.10 percent complete.

"The Clark North Interchange could be accessed through the Panday Pira Road just before Christmas day," Gervacio told reporters during the briefing.

Along with the Clark North Interchange, Gervacio said construction and developments are also being done on the Floridablanca and Porac Interchanges in the north of the province.

The three interchanges, reportedly constructed at a cost of P1.1 billion, are expected to spur enough vehicular volume for BCDA to recover the principal cost of constructing SCTEx as well as subsequent operation expenses.

Gervacio said that SCTEx currently makes around P1.3 million on normal days. "The most that we could raise is P2.5 million during long weekends," Gervacio added.

Despite the encouraging income, Gervacio said it would not be prudent to light the entire stretch of SCTEx as this would entail a higher toll for motorists.

"The lighting of the entire stretch would cost us P2.2 billion for civil works alone," Gervacio said, adding that P6 million would be the day-to-day cost to light the SCTEx from 6:00 pm to 6:00 am.

The BCDA said there is enough lighting available along tollbooths and plazas with added reflector paints to aid motorists traveling at night. Gervacio also assured that security inside the SCTex is tight and there is enough paramedic support in case of accidents.

Winston S. Cruz, program manager of SCTEx operational support services, pointed out that BCDA strictly adheres to a continuing road improvement program not only to prolong the roadway's lifespan but also to ensure public safety and comfort. By Ian Ocampo Flora - SunStar