At a press conference here, Isaac Puno III, BCDA executive vice president and SCTEx program director, said that the 97-kilometer tollway yields an income of only P500,000 per day on average days, peaking to P1 million during weekends and holidays.
This, however, is below the “ideal” P2.5 million daily income to enable the BCDA to pay its loans obtained for the project from the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC).
Puno said that increases in toll rates are being planned, but he could not immediately say how much the increase would be. At present the rates are P2 per kilometer for Class A vehicles, P4 for Class B vehicles, and P6 for Class C vehicles.
Eduardo Lena, SCTEx program manager for engineering and construction, said that the expressway’s bills for electricity alone requires some P5 million to P6 million per month.
Despite the losses and worldwide economic difficulties expected to affect the country more by next year, BCDA official said they see better financial prospects in SCTEx operations.
The plunging cost of fuel would pave the way for more patronage of the SCTEx, said Lena.
The operation and management of the expressway, which is the country’s longest, was initially awarded to the joint venture of First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPHC) and Egis Road Operation and Tollways Management Corp. (TMC).
BCDA officials said, however, that it is prepared to bid out the long term management and operations of the SCTEx as it has already finished the terms of reference (TOR) for this. Bidding, they said, could be done soon.
This, even as SCTEx program manager for operational support services Robert Gervacio said that the construction of four more interchanges at the Clark to Subic section of the SCTEx is in full blast.
He said the interchanges are being funded from a P1.1 billion supplemental loan from JBIC.
He reported that the longest, the 8-kilometer Panday Pira interchange will be finished by this Dec. 23, at the cost of P65 million.
The Clark south interchange will be finished on Feb. 14 next year, while the Porac and the Floridablanca interchanges are expected to be done by Jan. 9, also next year, Gervacio also said.
SCTEx which was opened to motorists earlier this year, has 11 finished interchanges and toll plazas.
It has reduced travel time from Subic to Tarlac from more than two hours to only 65 minutes, or 40 minutes between Clark and Subic and 25 minutes between Clark and Tarlac. From the North Luzon Expressway in Balintawak , Quezon City, travel time to Subic has been reduced to one hour and a half.
