Luisita Interchange Expansion Set to Break Ground This Week

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) announced that the expansion of the Luisita Interchange in Tarlac City is set to break ground this week, with operations expected within nine months. BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Joshua M. Bingcang told reporters on the sidelines of a briefing last week, “We will complete the entire interchange.” “You can access Luisita Interchange from Clark or from Luisita to Clark. But (there’s no access from) Luisita to Baguio and Baguio to Luisita,” Mr. Bingcang said. The Hacienda Luisita Interchange Expansion Project seeks to connect the Luisita Access Road to the 94-kilometer Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, in order to decongest the roads and ease mobility in the region. The groundbreaking for the project is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 11, he said. The project timetable is 240 working days. The expansion project includes the construction of a 624-meter 2-lane access entry ramp and a 242-meter one-lane additional exit ramp with toll plaza, drainage, slope protection, utilities, streetlights and other miscellaneous structures for northbound users. It also includes the construction of a 681-meter two-lane access exit ramp with toll plaza, drainage, slope protection, utilities streetlights and other miscellaneous structures for Clark/Subic/Manila bound users. Once operational, the expansion of the Luisita Interchange will improve travel to industrial hubs and townships in the Central Luzon area, such as the Luisita Industrial Park, Cresendo Estates, Central Techno Park, and TARI Estate. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz