MANILA, Philippines—Almost three months after the launching of the Subic-Clark segment of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), the Clark-Tarlac portion will open to traffic this Friday, marking the start of full commercial operation of the 94-kilometer expressway, the Japanese embassy said Wednesday.

The project was bankrolled by a 59-billion-yen (approximately P28-billion) loan provided by the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). 

The highway has 34 bridges, eight interchanges, and a four-lane toll road, a briefer from the embassy said. It connects the country's most important economic zones in Central Luzon -- the Subic Bay Freeport and Special Economic Zone in Zambales, the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga, and the Central Techno Park in Tarlac. 

The new expressway is expected to cut travel time between Clark and Subic to 40 minutes, between Clark and Tarlac to 25 minutes, and from NLEX (North Luzon Expressway) in Metro Manila to Subic to around one hour and 30 minutes. 

"This project will facilitate human and cargo transport in the Central Luzon area and contribute to the integrated and sustainable development of the regional economy," the embassy said. 

The Japanese government, which is the country's biggest provider of overseas development assistance, said it supports the development of the Philippine transportation sector in line with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's 10-point agenda.