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CLARK
FREE PORT—Preparations are under way for the opening of
the 93.77-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx)
as workers are about to wind up construction of the road
project.
Officials of the Bases Conversion and Development
Authority (BCDA) that oversees the construction of the
expressway said work is already in the “punch listing”
or final stages, adding that the project would be
completed in time for the scheduled inauguration at the
end of April.
The
four-lane divided toll road not only connects two of the
country’s most important economic zones in Central
Luzon—the Subic Bay Free- Port in Zambales and the Clark
Free- Port Zone in Pampanga—but also provides a very
convenient access to the emerging economic centers
further north in Tarlac and up to La Union province.
BCDA-SCTEx spokesman and SCTEx program manager Robert
Gervacio said only about 6 percent of the project,
consisting of miscellaneous structures such as guard
rails and fences as well as rectification works, remain
to be done.
“We are
definitely on track for the April opening,” Gervacio
said.
Construction of the SCTEx is divided into two packages
to speed up completion. Package 1 covers the
50.5-kilometer stretch between Subic and Clark, while
Package 2 comprises the 43.27-kilometer Clark-Tarlac
section.
The
SCTEx has 34 bridges, four of which are considered major
spans (300 meters or more long) that are now undergoing
final inspection. The four major bridges are the
Sacobia-Bamban Bridge, which is the longest at 1.16
kilometers, the 318-meter Gumain Bridge, the 720-meter
Pasig-Potrero Bridge and the 400-meter Porac River
Bridge.
The
expressway also has eight interchanges: the Tipo
Junction, the Dinalupihan Interchange, the Clark
Logistics Interchange, the Spur/North Luzon Expressway
Interchange, the Clark North Interchange, the Concepcion
Interchange and the San Miguel Interchange.
On
orders of President Arroyo, three more interchanges will
be constructed, bringing the total to 11. The additional
interchanges are the Clark South Interchange, the Porac
Interchange in Dolores and the Basa Interchange in
Floridablanca.
Economist Bernardo Villegas cited the rapid pace of
construction, adding that once operational, the
world-class toll way will generate wide business and
investment opportunities in the host provinces in just
three to six months. He stressed that Central Luzon
could now position itself as a global gateway.
Villegas
views the SCTEx as a “growth engine” that would spur the
region’s economic development, creating wider
opportunities for investment, trade and employment in
its host provinces.
The
SCTEx is expected to dramatically cut travel time
between Clark and Subic to only 40 minutes, and 30
minutes between Clark and Tarlac. At more than 93
kilometers, the SCTEx will be the country’s longest toll
way.
A
flagship project of President Arroyo, the SCTEx is among
the mega-projects designed to transform Central and
Northern Luzon into a super region. It is expected to serve as the
new economic backbone for growth areas north of Metro
Manila. |
