President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Wednesday led the inspection of the 19.81-km, P8.28-billion 6-lane Airport-New Clark City Access Road (ANAR) which will cut travel time from other districts of Clark to New Clark City to about 20 minutes from an hour, toll-free.
The carriageway of the access road was completed in December 2023. The ANAR will officially open to public on Thursday and is expected to be fully operational by July this year, once its bike lanes, landscapes, and slope protection are completed.
Part of ANAR is the iconic 900-meter Sacobia bridge, which crosses over the Sacobia River in Bamban, Tarlac. Equipped with dedicated bike lanes, pedestrian lanes, and linear parks that use renewable energy, ANAR is aligned with the government’s efforts to build more sustainable infrastructure projects throughout the Philippines.
“This international airport, the New Clark City access road is a key component in boosting the Clark metropolis as an investment and tourism destination. It is a part of a larger package to build better more activities aim to enlarge profile in the global investment project to prospective investors, convey the message that we are committed to building world class infrastructure that can host the business in a high growth area,” President Marcos Jr. said during his speech.
The President was joined by Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) Chairman Delfin N. Lorenzana, BCDA President and Chief Executive Officer Engr. Joshua M. Bingcang, government officials, and private sector partners during the inspection.
Transforming the whole Clark metropolis into Asia’s next investment destination is BCDA’s contribution to the economic agenda of the Marcos administration’s Build Better More program. Its development is expected to help decongest Metro Manila and catalyze socioeconomic growth in Central and Northern Luzon.
“The ANAR is a tangible embodiment of the Bagong Pilipinas vision – a Philippines that is progressive, sustainable, and brimming with cultural pride. Every step across the Sacobia Bridge symbolizes a step forward towards a brighter future. It represents the BCDA’s unwavering commitment to principled governance, accountability, and dependability. We stand together with the government, and the President, united in our pursuit of this common objective: to realize the dreams and aspirations of every Filipino,” Engr. Bingcang said.
The ANAR project forms part of the BCDA’s global and holistic development approach called One Clark, where all its subsidiaries provide the scale needed to ensure that the whole Clark metropolis can compete with its Southeast Asian neighbors when it comes to being a top choice for businesses and investments.
“The ANAR will unravel the immense potential of Clark, turning this 32,000-hectare corridor into a new economic epicenter that promises inclusive and sustainable growth for all. This is a prime example of what the Marcos administration wants to achieve through aggressive infrastructure buildup under the Build Better More program,” Lorenzana said.
Meanwhile, Tarlac Governor Susan Yap thanked the national government for opening doors of economic opportunities for Tarlac not only to the people but also to investors that would bring both tourism and economic growth in the area.
The Clark metropolis consists of Clark International Airport, Clark Freeport Zone, and BCDA’s latest flagship project New Clark City.
New Clark City is a 9,450-hectare greenfield development inside the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone positioned to be an inclusive, resilient, sustainable, and smart city. Once fully developed, New Clark City is projected to become the home of over a million residents, and provide job opportunities to around 600,000 Filipinos.
