The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it has partially opened to the public the P11.81-billion Central Luzon Link Expressway Project.
The first 18-kilometer section of CLLEX from Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, or Subic -Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway connection in Tarlac City up to the intersection of Aliaga-Guimba Road in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija was inaugurated on July 15.
This toll-free expressway project is one of the key infrastructure projects with funding assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Build, Build, Build program.
The partial opening of CLLEX up to Aliaga is expected to provide options to motorists and spread out traffic better.
The agency said the CLLEX sections covered by three contract packages that will be opened are the 4.10-kilometer Tarlac Section, 6.4-kilometer Rio Chico River Bridge Section including 1.5-km Rio Chico Viaduct, and the Aliaga Section with up and down ramps at Guimba-Aliaga Road.
The DPWH said it is committed to complete the entire 30-kilometer expressway project within the term of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. The 10.3-kilometer Cabanatuan Section under Contract Package 4 is already 88.7-percent complete.
Meanwhile, the Zaragoza Interchange Section under Contract Package 5 is 26.9 percent complete and expected to gain significant progress as site possessions are secured for the project’s right of way requirements.
Once fully operational, the expressway is expected to shorten the usual travel time of 70 minutes between Tarlac City and Cabanatuan City to just 20 minutes.
The new expressway will also form an important east-west link for the expressway network of Central Luzon to ensure a seamless traffic flow for the motoring public from Metro Manila and vice versa passing thru North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.