Lipa-Batangas City road to open Thursday

MANILA, Philippines - The P2.1-billion road extension project that links the cities of Lipa and Batangas will open for traffic on Thursday, April 17, its operator announced Tuesday. Melvin Nazareno, president of Star Infrastructure Development Corporation, said motorists can start using the new toll road starting 6 a.m. Thursday. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo inaugurated the new toll road last April 2. The project is known as the STAR Tollway Project Stage 2 - Phase 1. The new toll road is part of the P687-billion Luzon Underway Belt Project, which aims to connect, through a 300-kilometer network, the Subic International Container Terminal, the Batangas City International Container Port, and the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport at the Clark Special Economic Zone. The road network runs through Central Luzon, Metro Manila, the Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon provinces) growth corridor, and the provinces of Mindoro and Marinduque Nazareno said the new toll road covers the 19.74 kilometer concrete stretch from Lipa City to the Batangas City International Container Port. It is an extension of the Stage 1 project, the 22-kilometer, four-lane concrete stretch that links the town of Sto. Tomas and Lipa City, Nazareno said. When fully operational, the road will reduce travel time from Manila to Batangas City by one and a half hour and Lipa to Batangas City by 40 minutes, he said. The new toll road is expected to spur development in the Calabarzon region and generates employment and creates business opportunities in the area, Nazareno said. The Star Arterial Toll Road, also known as the Apolinario Mabini Superhighway, is the third of the Southern Luzon Expressway network of three expressways that connect Southern Luzon with Metro Manila. The other two are the Sergio Osmeña Highway, which connects Paco to Paranaque City and the Jose Rizal Superhighway, which connects Parañaque City with Calamba City. - GMANews.TV