Ayala Land, Inc. (ALI) said the expansion of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) Luisita Interchange is expected to improve access to its 290-hectare Cresendo estate in Tarlac City.

The company said in a statement on Thursday that the project, led by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) together with local government units and tollway partners, will add dedicated northbound entry and exit ramps to the existing Luisita Interchange. SCTEX links the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, the Clark Special Economic Zone, and Tarlac, serving as one of the main arterial tollways of Central and Northern Luzon.

Once completed, the expansion is expected to give motorists traveling between Tarlac City and Northern Luzon more direct access to SCTEX, ease congestion along MacArthur Highway, and improve traffic flow in and around the city.

BCDA estimates that the project will improve mobility for about 11,200 motorists daily, including travelers from Baguio, La Union, and Pangasinan — provinces commonly reached via the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), the tollway that connects with SCTEX in Tarlac and carries traffic onward to Northern Luzon.

"Connectivity is a critical driver of regional development. The SCTEX Luisita Interchange expansion will improve access to Cresendo and strengthen connections between Tarlac and key economic centers," said Rica Balbido, estate development head for Central Luzon at Ayala Land Estates.

"This supports our vision for Cresendo as a community where businesses can grow and people can live, work, and thrive," Ms. Balbido added.

Cresendo is a 290-hectare master-planned estate in Tarlac City developed by Ayala Land Estates, ALI's estate development arm. Ayala Land is the listed property developer of the Ayala group and has built a portfolio of mixed-use estates across the Philippines beyond its traditional Metro Manila projects. The estate comprises commercial, industrial, educational, and residential components. Its industrial component, Cresendo Industrial Park, opened in 2023 and has been partly leased to manufacturing and logistics locators, positioning the estate to serve companies seeking sites along the Central Luzon corridor.

According to ALI, the interchange expansion is expected to strengthen Cresendo's links to Clark International Airport, the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Metro Manila, and other parts of Northern Luzon. Clark International Airport has operated an expanded passenger terminal since 2022, adding capacity at the gateway closest to the Tarlac-Pampanga growth belt.

The estate sits about three kilometers (km) from SCTEX, around 40 km from Clark International Airport in Pampanga, and roughly 15 minutes from New Clark City, the government-backed master-planned development being built by BCDA in Capas, Tarlac. The statement did not indicate a target completion date or project cost for the interchange expansion, details that will bear watching as the ramps and the estate's build-out proceed.

— Juliana Chloe A. Gonzales

Source: BusinessWorld