IN ITS commitment to further improve customer processing time at the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), the NLEX Corporation will construct 20 additional lanes in strategically located SCTEX toll plazas.

The toll plaza capacity expansion project, which is expected to start in July and to be completed by November this year, covers Clark North, Clark South, San Miguel, Bamban, and Tarlac toll plazas.

One new toll lane each will be built in Clark North entry/exit and Clark South B exit. Two new toll lanes each will be added at Clark South A exit and Tarlac entry/exit to serve the growing number of motorists traveling in these areas.

The NLEX Corporation will also bolster the service capacity of San Miguel (Luisita) and convert it to a full interchange. This means that San Miguel will be more accessible to motorists, as those coming to and from San Miguel will now have complete entry and exit points from both northbound and southbound directions.

Meanwhile, two lanes each will be constructed at San Miguel northbound entry and southbound exit and another toll lane will be added to the northbound exit.

The soon-to-open Bamban Interchange will likewise have three entry and three exit lanes. The new interchange will become the direct connection to New Clark City, the main venue for this year’s Southeast Asian Games.

Luigi Bautista, president and general manager of NLEX Corporation, said “the additional toll lanes will help improve SCTEX's connectivity in its areas, particularly in Clark, which is being positioned as Asia's next aerotropolis and investment center.”

The new lanes aim to enable speedy toll transactions even during peak hours and holidays when traffic volume on the expressway rises sharply.

In the previous years, the NLEX Corporation, together with the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), implemented several enhancement projects along SCTEX's 94-kilometer stretch. These projects include the NLEX-SCTEX electronic toll collection integration, the expansion of Tipo Toll Plaza and the Mabiga Interchange. NLEX also completed the pavement rehabilitation of the entire expressway.

CCTV System, LED lights, emergency call boxes, crash cushions, and reflective delineator plates were also installed at the expressway to enhance the safety of motorists. A new traffic control room was built in Dolores, Mabalacat City to track real-time traffic at SCTEX.