SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Motorists who need to access the Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX) will have to take a detour beginning Saturday (July 13), to pave the way for an expansion work in time for this year’s Southeast Asian Games, according to its operator.

A P1.6-billion capacity expansion project would convert the 8.8-kilometer SFEX into a four-lane highway, so vehicles are being directed to take alternative routes such as the Causeway Road and the Argonaut-Kalayaan Access Road since one lane of the Maritan-Rizal-Tipo junction has been closed to traffic, said Elvin Cruz, project manager of the North Luzon Expressway Corporation.

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Cruz said the first phase of the project is projected to be completed by October to allow Subic to host 16 sporting events. The 2019 SEA Games will be held in the country from November 30 to December 11.

The SFEX expansion would complement the infrastructure development program of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, which includes the widening of freeport roads and the improvement of the Subic airport and seaport, said Wilma Eisma, SBMA chair and administrator.

The expressway widening project is being undertaken by the Sta. Clara International Corporation.

The NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., built and operates the 84-kilometer NLEX and the 94-km Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX). The SFEX connects the Subic Bay Freeport to SCTEX. /jpv

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