SCTEx toll rates to go up effective June 14, 2019

Motorists plying the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) should brace for higher toll rates following the Toll Regulatory Board's (TRB) approval for an additional P0.51 per kilometer toll hike.

In a statement, NLEx Corp., operator of SCTEx, said the new toll increase will be collected starting 12:01 a.m. on Friday, June 14.

The petition for toll rate adjustments was filed by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) in 2011. 

Under the approved toll rates, motorists with Class 1 vehicles (ordinary cars) traveling from Mabalacat City (Mabiga Interchange) to Tarlac will pay an additional P20. 

Meanwhile, motorists using Class 2 vehicles (buses and small commercial trucks) using the same corridor will pay an additional P40 and Class 3 vehicles (large trucks/trailers) will pay an additional P60. 

Motorists traveling between Mabalacat and Tipo in Subic will be charged an additional P32, P66, and P98 for Class 1, 2, and 3 vehicles, respectively.

"Although SCTEx toll rates have remained at 2011 levels, infrastructure improvements along the 94-kilometer tollway have continued," the company said.

"Since 2015, BCDA and NLEx Corp. have invested in various enhancement projects in the high standard expressway to maintain motorist safety and convenience," it added.

Among the notable improvements was the NLEx-SCTEx integration project in 2016 which unified the toll collection of the two expressways under one electronic toll collection system.

This project reduced the cumbersome toll collection stops and made expressway travel hassle-free.

The entire stretch of the SCTEX between Tarlac and Tipo also underwent a massive asphalt pavement upgrade in 2017 which made for smoother and quieter rides, according to the company.

The Tipo Toll Plaza and the new Mabiga Interchange were boosted with additional toll lanes, it said.

"To improve 24/7 traffic monitoring and provision of roadside services, a modern traffic control room (TCR), with CCTV cameras and radio communications, was built in Mabalacat City. To enhance motorists’ safety, LED highway lights, emergency call boxes, crash cushions, and reflective delineator plates were also installed in key areas of the expressway," the company said. —Ted Cordero/KG, GMA News