THE Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) expects around 60 kilometers (km) of New Clark City road networks to be completed by the end of the year.
In a statement on Tuesday, BDA said that New Clark City’s road network is expected to stretch 57.18 km by end-2025. This represents 40% of the planned 148.44-km road length in the whole development.
“One of the main elements that make Clark so attractive to investors is its unmatched connectivity, supported by its own international airport, a nearby seaport, and major expressways,” BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Joshua M. Bingcang said.
“But we need to further build on this connectivity and invest more in infrastructure. By doing this, we can create the scale to make us more competitive against our neighbors and elevate New Clark City’s position as a premier investment hub,” he added.
The road projects include multiple lanes, bicycle and pedestrian lanes, solar streetlights and linear parks, and drainage and slope protection structures.
“They also feature underground utility corridors to prepare for the needs of present and future locators in the area,” BCDA said.
Of the total, 41.48 km are already being used by public motorists. These include the 12-km access road from New Clark City to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and the 19.8-km One Clark Boulevard.
Meanwhile, 15.7 km of roads are being constructed, which includes the 10.1-km road package 2.
“Road packages 3 and 4, covering 7.5 km and 6.7 km, respectively, will soon be offered for bidding. Also for procurement are connecting roads leading to New Clark City’s sports complex, residential area, and the river park,” said BCDA.
“Some 72.26 km of road are also in the pipeline for future development,” it added.
Once completed, the 9,450-hectare New Clark City is expected to have a population of 1.2 million and a total workforce of 600,000.
“The city’s extensive road network will form the backbone of the planned transit-oriented development in the whole Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone (SEZ), establishing robust interconnectivity within the SEZ and its neighboring communities,” BCDA said.
“This will give way to the construction of multi-modal transport hubs, which will become pivotal in driving investments and creating sustainable, active communities,” it added. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
