NLEX Corp. said the P1.6 billion Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX) Capacity Expansion Project is now 85 percent completed. 

The operator of North Luzon Expressway and Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway said the capacity expansion of the 8.2-kilometer SFEX is aimed at improving traffic safety and easing travel to and from the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. 

New bridges and a tunnel are being constructed adjacent to the existing ones to increase road capacity from one lane in each direction to two lanes in each direction. 

Aside from these, expressway-standard LED lights are being installed to enhance motorists’ visibility especially when driving at night. 

The SFEX Capacity Expansion is seen to expedite the delivery of goods, support trade and tourism in Subic, and complement Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority’s (SBMA) infrastructure development

“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,” J. Luigi L. Bautista, NLEX president and general manager had said. 

“This would also mean that the expressway can accommodate more motorists at a given time,” it added.

To further provide motorists with comfortable and easy journeys all-year-round, Bautista noted, “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.