NLEX Corp. said the capacity expansion of the 8.2-kilomete Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX), a major infrastructure project aimed at easing travel to and from the freeport zone, is now 50 percent completed. 

NLEX said construction activities for the P1.6-billion project are in various stages of development and seen to be completed by the end of the year. 

Two additional expressway lanes, two new spans at the Jadjad and Argonaut bridges, and a new tunnel adjacent to the existing one are being built to transform the road into a four-lane expressway, thus improve traffic flow and road safety. 

“By increasing the road capacity of SFEX, which traverses the provinces of Bataan and Zambales, transport of goods in and out of the Subic Freeport will be faster and easier. This would also mean that the expressway can accommodate more motorists at a given time,” J. Luigi L. Bautista, president and general manager of NLEX said. 

New expressway-standard LED lights will likewise be installed to make night driving equally enjoyable and safe.

To further provide motorists with comfortable and easy journeys all-year-round, Bautista said, “in partnership with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), we have also included in the project scope the raising of elevation of the Maritan Highway-Rizal and Highway-Tipo Road Junction and enhancing its drainage system to improve flood management in the area.” 

Full blast works on SFEX Capacity Expansion started last September 2019 and were halted following the declaration of enhanced community quarantine in the area. Construction resumed in mid-May after the lifting of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

Despite the disruptions brought by the coronavirus pandemic, the SFEX Capacity Expansion is expected to sustain Subic’s position as a prime business and leisure hub. 

It is also being eyed to complement SBMA’s infrastructure development program, which includes widening of Freeport roads and improvement of our airport, seaport, and other logistics facilities.