DPWH to open 7km extension of CLLEX by H1 2023

MANILA: The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) expects the expressway project in Central Luzon at the intersection of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) in Tarlac City, Tarlac to be operational up to San Juan, Aliaga, Nueva Ecija toward the first half of 2023.

DPWH Unified Project Management Office - Roads Management Cluster 1 (DPWH-UPMO RMC1) is continuing to work on the completion of an additional seven kilometer segment from Guimba-Aliaga Road intersection to San Juan Interchange, extending the currently accessible 18-kilometer section of the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) to 25 kilometers, according to DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain in his report to DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan.

Sadain added that the DPWH-UPMO RMC1 team has worked hard to overcome obstacles along the way, such as adverse weather, right of way issues, challenges in transporting construction materials, and COVID-19 impact that resulted in some delays.

In addition to constructing a four-lane, two-way expressway with a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour, the DPWH is also establishing three interchanges, Zaragoza, Aliaga, and San Juan, which will give motorists on secondary and provincial roads access to CLLEX.

When fully completed, the 30-kilometer CLLEX Project will provide Central Luzon with fast, secure, convenient, and dependable transport modes as it forms an important east-west link for the region's expressway network. This will guarantee a smooth flow of traffic for motorists traveling from Metro Manila and vice versa through NLEX, SCTEX, and TPLEX.

The project will reduce the usual travel time between Tarlac City and Cabanatuan City from 70 minutes to just 20 minutes, contributing to the government's goal of easing traffic congestion.

It is one of the key infrastructures with funding support from the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and is part of the Luzon Spine Expressway Network projects, which aim to cut travel time from the northernmost part of Luzon, Ilocos, to the southernmost part, Bicol, by over 50% by developing a high-quality highway network.

Sadain directed the DPWH-UPMO RMC 1 project supervision team, which consists of Project Engineers Manuel Monfort, Juancho Hernandez, and Albert Manuel, to increase resources for the project and speed up their work during his recent inspection, along with Project Director Benjamin Bautista.

Delays in compensation or payment for damaged property are brought on by right of way claimants' inability to meet all documentation requirements, issues with documents submitted as proof of ownership, and other factors, the most frequent of which are the cancellation of encumbrances from land titles, payment of corresponding estate taxes for registered deceased landowners, and changes in creditor names.

Photo from Department of Public Works and Highways

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