San Miguel Corporation (SMC) on Wednesday secured a 35-year contract with the provincial government of Batangas to build the P44.77-billion Nasugbu-Bauan Expressway (NBEX) project.
Ramon S. Ang, SMC president and chief executive described the four-lane, 61-kilometer toll road as “a project that will further unlock the economic potential of Batangas.”
NBEX, Ang said, is a vital infrastructure initiative in Southern Luzon. It will improve travel across towns throughout Batangas, particularly the first district. Once complete, it will make Nasugbu, Balayan, Lemery, Bauan, the City of Calaca, and other municipalities, more accessible. Transportation of people and goods will be easier, faster, and more efficient resulting in lower cost of business and higher economic activity.
The NBEX is expected to cut travel time by half between Nasugbu to Bauan, Batangas from 1.5 hours to only 45 minutes. It will also reduce the usual five-hour trip to and from Manila to only two hours.
NBEX, which begins in Brgy. Kaylaway, Nasugbu town, runs parallel to the Tagaytay-Nasugbu and Palico-Balayan highways. Its terminus at Brgy. Kaylaway connects the expressway to another SMC Infrastructure project, the Cavite-Batangas Expressway (CBEX), which leads to Tagaytay City and Silang, Cavite.
The project has four sections: Section 1 is a 10.78-km segment that stretches from Brgy. Kaylaway to Brgy. Banilad in Nasugbu town; Section 2 is a 13.03-km segment from Brgy. Banilad to Balayan town; Section 3 is a 16.3-km segment from Balayan to Lemery, and Section 4 is a 20.79-km segment from Lemery to Bauan.
And said target for substantial completion of the project is 48 months, including the 12-month development of the detailed engineering design.
“NBEX is an exciting opportunity for us to come together once again and work towards our common goal of building a better future for our beloved Batanguenos. We look forward to working with Batangas governor Herminilando Mandanas and the rest of the province’s leaders and stakeholders to make this a reality,” he said.
NBEX is the latest addition to the growing SMC infrastructure portfolio, the country’s most diversified conglomerate. Aside from NBEX, SMC operates the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), the Skyway System that connects Balintawak to Makati through an elevated expressway; the South Luzon Expressway, and the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road ( STAR ) Tollway.
