SCTEx to get P172-M Luisita interchange upgrades

MANILA, Philippines — The state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is spending P172.1 million to expand the Hacienda Luisita Interchange along the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), improving access to Baguio and Metro Manila.

BCDA president and CEO Joshua Bingcang said the agency will break ground Tuesday on the project, which is expected to take 240 days to complete.

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The expansion will add entry and exit ramps, toll plazas, drainage, slope protection, utilities and streetlights on both the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway and Clark, Subic and Manila-bound sides.

Bingcang said the investment could eventually reach about P300 million, including toll facilities and other structures. BCDA is funding the project through corporate funds.

The expansion upgrades one of BCDA’s key revenue-generating assets. The agency owns a 50-percent stake in SCTEx, with the rest held by Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Tollways Corp.

SCTEx toll collections contributed P3 billion to BCDA’s record P14.1 billion in cash revenues in 2025, up from P2.3 billion a year earlier.

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Bingcang said the expanded interchange will improve access to major Central Luzon developments, including Luisita Industrial Park, Central Techno Park, Cresendo Estates and Aboitiz’s TARI Estate, while easing traffic along MacArthur Highway and nearby roads in Tarlac.

The 93.7-kilometer SCTEx also links the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone with the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

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BCDA plans to invest about P1 billion in SCTEx improvements, with additional interchanges eyed in Hermosa, Bataan, and Mabalacat, Pampanga. /pai