NLEX Corporation has spent P2.6 billion to upgrade the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) since it took over operations seven years ago.
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) awarded the SCTEX concession contract to the company in 2015.
Since then, the tollway operator has improved SCTEX’s pavement, systems, bridges, slopes, signs, lights, and other assets.
“When the SCTEX was turned over to us, we committed to bring the NLEX brand and extend all its features in SCTEX, so we continuously invest in improving the infrastructure and pursuing innovation to provide efficient service to the motoring public,” NLEX Corporation President and General Manager J. Luigi L. Bautista remarked in a statement Wednesday, May 26.
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For this year, the tollway company focuses on the P152 million repair and strengthening of Pasig Potrero Bridge and the P148.5 million road raising project at Dinalupihan.
Since 2020, the riverbed of the 720-meter Pasig-Potrero bridge linking Subic and Clark has degraded, exposing the bridge support piles.
Quarry operations in the area diminished the sand surrounding the bridge piers.
To protect the bridge's structure and retain the sand behind the piers, NLEX Corp. is installing sheet piles or steel sheets and gabions.
The tollway operator is also raising the 640-meter portion of the Dinalupihan road to enhance mobility and facilitate safe passage especially during the rainy season.
They are constructing a new pavement on top of the existing one, and additing new culverts or drainage structures to reduce the vulnerability of the road to flooding and improve its drainage system.
So far, one of NLEX Corporation's most important enhancement project was the P393-million NLEX-SCTEX integration project lwhich unified the toll collection of the expressways into a single, seamless system.
This reduced the cumbersome toll collection stops and made expressway travel hassle-free.
The operator likewise embarked on a P953.9 million three-phased rehabilitation program for the entire 94-kilometer road involving asphalt overlay and patching works.
The tollway company also repaired Porac and Gumain bridges in Pampanga as well as Pinulot, Loakan, and Cui river bridges in Dinalupihan, Bataan for P130.3 million.
Drainages, fences, and guardrails were improved for P47.8 million.
NLEX Corp. spent P184.2 million for its new traffic control center, complete with closed-circuit television systems, emergency call boxes, and variable message signs to assist motorists and enhance monitoring of traffic along the expressway.
Features such as LED lights, reflective delineator posts, and anti-glare panels were also installed in various parts of SCTEX to help motorists navigate the road safely during nighttime.
The toll opetator built rest stops and renovated its operations center for P10.3 million.
To boost mobility and facilitate faster travel, toll lanes were added in Clark South and Tipo and new entry and exit toll plazas were built in Mabiga to the tune of P399.2 million, including preliminary works for other expansion projects.
The company shelled out P103 million for equipping the toll lanes with RFID, early detection feature as well as automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) system which is useful for identifying vehicles passing the RFID lanes without RFID stickers, those with insufficient balance, and vehicles that may pose safety hazards.
BCDA and NLEX Corp. worked together to construct the P88.3 million New Clark City Interchange in time for the country’s hosting of the Southeast Asian Games in 2019.
And in the coming years, they have lined up more projects for SCTEX involving interchange and system enhancements, Bautista revealed.
NLEX Corporation is a subsidiary of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), the toll road arm of the Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC).