The Subic Freeport Expressway (SFEX), formerly referred to as the Subic–Tipo Expressway and North Luzon Expressway Segment 7 (NLEX Segment 7), is a four-lane expressway that connects the

Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway The Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), signed as E1 and E4 of the Philippine expressway network and R-8 of the Metro Manila arterial road network, is controlled-access toll expressway in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Fro ...

to the Subic Freeport Zone in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Its alignment traverses the provinces of

Bataan Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the ...

and

Zambales Zambales, officially the Province of Zambales ( fil, Lalawigan ng Zambales; ilo, Probinsia ti Zambales; Pangasinan: ''Luyag/Probinsia na Zambales''; xsb, Probinsya nin Zambales), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon ...

. The expressway forms part of Expressway 4 (E4) of the

Philippine expressway network The Philippine expressway network, also known as the High Standard Highway Network, is a controlled-access highway network managed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) which consists of all expressways and regional high standa ...

Route description

Beginning at the intersection of Rizal and Maritan Highways, the expressway runs northward traversing the wetlands of the former Naval Exchange going towards Argonaut Highway. The alignment curves to the right as it crosses Argonaut Highway and goes up as it enters the

Bataan National Park Bataan National Park is a protected area of the Philippines located in the mountainous interior of Bataan province in the Central Luzon Region. The park straddles the northern half of Bataan Peninsula near its border with Subic Bay Freeport Zon ...

. The alignment then veers on a southeasterly direction traversing the side slopes of the mountain. The road enters

as it exits the national park and there are two Total service areas, with one before the

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (abbreviated as "SBMA", fil, Pangasiwaang Panlungsod ng Subic Bay) is a governmental agency of the Philippines. Sometimes abbreviated as SBMA, the agency has played a significant part in the development of t ...

(SBMA) security checkpoint for southbound lanes and near the checkpoint for northbound lanes. It would then curve westward, eastward, pass into one river, and repeats the same direction as before. There is an overpass after passing the bridge and before entering

(SCTEX). Upon entering SCTEX, there is a toll plaza and the road forks into two, the left towards

Jose Abad Santos Avenue Jose Abad Santos Avenue (JASA), also known as the Olongapo–Gapan Road and the Gapan–San Fernando–Olongapo Road, is a two-to-thirteen-lane major highway spanning the provinces of Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Zambales in Central Luzon, ...

(Olongapo–Gapan Road) and the right is a toll plaza leading to SCTEX.

Expansion

As part of NLEX Corporation's expansion and improvement of its toll roads, the expressway was expanded to accommodate an additional carriageway inclusive of two bridges and a tunnel parallel to the existing ones. Groundbreaking ceremony of the expansion project was held on September 12, 2019. It was expected to be completed in September 2020, but was delayed due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. The new carriageway and expansion was opened to traffic on February 19, 2021.

Toll

Subic Freport Expressway (SFEX) employs a

barrier toll system A barrier toll system (also known as an open toll system) is a method of collecting tolls on highways using toll barriers at regularly spaced intervals on the toll road's mainline. Motorists are typically charged a flat-rate toll, unlike toll ro ...

, where motorists that use exclusively this expressway pay a fixed toll rate. The toll collection is done at the SFEX Toll Plaza in Tipo. Meanwhile, motorists that originate from SCTEX are charged of toll rates based on the number of kilometers travelled from their entry point at SCTEX or NLEX upon entry on SFEX at Tipo Interchange. Tickets, meanwhile, are issued to eastbound vehicles from SFEX upon entry on SCTEX at Tipo Interchange and are charged at their respective exit points at SCTEX or NLEX. This is since SCTEX and NLEX are an integrated

closed system A closed system is a natural physical system that does not allow transfer of matter in or out of the system, although — in contexts such as physics, chemistry or engineering — the transfer of energy (''e.g.'' as work or heat) is allowed. In ...

since 2016. The electronic toll collection (ETC) system on the expressway uses devices branded ''Easytrip'' by its concessionaire,

NLEX Corporation NLEX Corporation (formerly Manila North Tollways Corporation) is a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), a company owned by Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (). It holds the concession rights to construct, operate and ma ...

, and collection are done on mixed lanes at the toll barriers. Tolls are charged based on class. In accordance with law, all toll rates include a 12%

value-added tax A value-added tax (VAT), known in some countries as a goods and services tax (GST), is a type of tax that is assessed incrementally. It is levied on the price of a product or service at each stage of production, distribution, or sale to the en ...

. Source
Toll Regulatory Board

Exits

Tipo, Bataan, Philippines - panoramio (2)

References

External link