Gov’t eyes P1.8B Hermosa-Subic road link
The builders of the Subic-Clark-Manila-Batangas (SCMB) railway project are eyeing a road that would link Heromosa, Bataan to Subic Bay Freeport after assessing the potential of a proposed logistics terminal.
In a meeting at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, the SCMB technical working group and representatives from the Department of Transportation Hermosa local government discussed the construction plans for an eight-kilometer access road. The expected cost was pegged at P1.8 billion.
The meeting covered the logistics terminal’s commercial viability and operational efficiency through anticipated trade volume, port statistics. It also touched on the alignment of the logistics roadmap and bypass road from Subic to Hermosa.
The SCMB is a 250-kilometer freight railway that links major economic hubs in Luzon, Port of Subic, Port of Manila, and Port of Batangas. It is aimed at decongesting Manila’s port and improving logistics.
Currently, the project progressed in the development stage, with a feasibility study jointly undertaken by the United States, Sweden and the Asian Development Bank.
The US Trade and Development Agency, meanwhile, provides the technical assistance for the project.
Last October, DOTr received a $1.3-million grant from the government of Sweden to fund SMCB’s feasibility study.
