Subic Bay Freeport – Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark A. Villar, NLEX Corporation President and General Manager J. Luigi L. Bautista together with SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma led the drive-thru of the new expressway lanes built to improve traffic flow and road safety.
The new SFEX road, constructed beside the existing SFEX Carriageway, will be available to motorists today, December 28, 2020 until January 21, 2021 from 6:00am to 6:00pm. It will be closed starting 6:01pm to 5:59am. The next day to give way to the construction of remaining works.
”The project is 92 percent complete. While there are still works to be done in some areas, we are temporarily opening the new road to ease the travel of our motorist this holiday season, especially the truckers and merchants who are delivering essential goods,” said Secretary Villar.
The 1.6 billion SFEX Capacity expansion entails the conversion of the Subic Freeport Expressway to a 2×2 divided expressway, with the construction of two additional expressway lanes, to new bridges, and a new tunnel. This will increase the road capacity of SFEX from one lane in each direction to two lanes in each direction.
The project also includes the installation of expressway-standard LED lights, the raising of elevation of Maritan Highway-Rizal Highway-Tipo Road junction, and the enhancement of drainage system for better management area.
A series of road safety audits showed that the whole project alignment, except for the portion of Jadjad Bridge which is still under construction, has complied with the safety requirements thus safe for use by the motoring public.
The SFEX Capacity Expansion is seen to enhance accessibility and promote travel efficiency on this key road that connects Bataan and Zambales. It is also expected to boost Subic’s competitiveness and ideal shipping gateway for business in Central and North Luzon.
“With the improve and expanded SFEX, the transport of goods in and out of the Subic Freeport will be faster and easier. Night driving will also be equally enjoyable and safe for our motorists”. Said Bautista.
The Subic Freeport Expressway was built when the Philippines was chosen to host the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in 1996. It is initially aimed to cut down the travel time from Hermosa, Bataan to Subic Freeport from almost 1 hour to less than 10 minutes. With the capacity expansion project, more motorist will be accommodated at given time and can enjoy more convenient and safer journey. (Dante M. Salvaña)