Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX)
I have heard many praises and expressions of relief that the new highway in North Luzon is now open and that is cuts travel short by hours. Trips to Subic and Baguio, is now as fast as a heartbeat, I have heard one comment even.
So when we planned our trip to Subic for my son’s birthday, we planned to take SCTEX so that we can get to Subic (and back) in lesser time than we used to. Maybe this is why we really did not rush to head out early, instead ate breakfast at home first and left around 8AM already.
Traffic was light on Edsa except that part in Quezon City where you get near Balintawak, and we expected this already. What we did not expect though was the heavy traffic at North Luzon Expressway. My hubby and I started kidding around and saying that maybe everyone else was headed to Subic but a few hours later, we stopped laughing. It wasn’t funny that cars were at a standstill at NLEX going to DAU exit.
Traffic at a standstill at NLEX
After paying Php 174 in toll fees, I expected a smoother ride than our experience that day. Normally, I wouldn’t complain because really driving through NLEX is such a joy but that day was a nightmare. It took us almost 2 hours just to get through DAU tollway.
So maybe we had to suffer a bit so that we could truly appreciate what SCTEX has to offer. I must confess I was in awe when we entered SCTEX. It reminded me of highways and freeways in the US. The roads were wide, the surroundings were a vast expanse of lush greenery and rustic farmland. Not like what your eyes would feast on when you drive towards the South where your left and your right are flanked by commercial plants or houses or even villages.
I sincerely hope that this is the first time if not the only time that this will happen to drivers on NLEX. What a bummer if everytime you go to Subic, it takes about 4.5 hours which is more than what it used to take when there was no new highway to begin with.
Regardless, kudos to BCDA for this project!
Toll Fees you need to pay for a trip to Subic:
NLEX Tollway (Marilao) – Php 36.00
NLEX Tollway (Dau) – Php 138.00
SCTEX Tollway (Subic) – Php 112.00
Subic Bay Freeport Zone Tollway – Php 18.00
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Hi, Apples! Nice photos.
I’ve used the SCTEX highway before and it was a joy! Faster travel time.
My favorite super highway (esp if I am the one behind the wheel) is NLEX. But I agree with you that traffic after paying a hefty toll fee sucks. I love it when it’s NOT jam-packed.
Hope you had fun in Subic.
Abbie – Thanks! It is a joy indeed if you take out the actual heavy traffic to get there. In fact, we took the original route going home and it took us less time to get home than to get to Subic. Tsk tsk.
matagal na rin akong hind nakakabisita sa subic. try ko rin paminsan makapunta ulit.
matanda-na-may-arthritis – punta ka now habang summer pa
we went to hundred islands using that road, ang ganda talaga!
happy mother’s day!
raqgold – It is nice if not for the heavy traffic going there but Im guessing those happen during holidays. Happy Mother’s day to you too!
ano ba ang mga bagong atraksyon sa subic?
Banxietyy07 – There’s Ocean Adventure, Zoobic Safari, New resort and old ones too. And there’s always a reason to go shopping at Royal Subic.
Cool blog, like what I read. Will be back to read more. Adding to RSS feeder. Bob
[...] What the heck, let’s just drive there, I tell my husband. And drive we did. Thinking that the new highway will cut our trip by more than half, we decided to head out later than we usually do when going on out of town trips. Unfortunately, that was a bad decision as we encountered heavy traffic on the way to SCTEX. [...]