P29.2-billion expressway project to link Tarlac, Nueva Ecija endorsed

MALOLOS CITY, Philippines – The Central Luzon Regional Development Council (RDC) has endorsed the construction of the 63.9-kilometer Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEx) as one of the priority projects in the region for next year.

The new expressway project that will connect the cities of Tarlac and San Jose in Nueva Ecija is estimated to cost at least P29.2 Billion and is divided into two phases.

The first phase involves 28 kilometers and is estimated to cost P13 billion will link the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) terminus in Tarlac City and the Pan-Philippine Highway (PPH) or the Daang Maharlika Highway in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija.

The 35.9-kilometer second phase will link the cities of Cabanatuan and San Jose, Nueva Ecija is also worth P13 billion.

Engineer Carmelito Dizon of the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) Project Management Office (PMO) said the expressway project will benefit not only Central Luzon but northeastern Luzon provinces like Cagayan Valley and Isabela.

“It will generally improve access to the food basket of Aurora in Central Luzon and Cagayan Valley region as well as provinces in the eastern part of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR),” Dizon said.

He said travel time between Metro Manila and provinces in the eastern seaboard of Luzon will also be faster, safer and more predictable.

“The projects is basically envisioned to provide linkage between SCTEX and the PPH integrating eastern Central and North Luzon provinces with Metro Manila,” he said.

Documents showed that provinces on the eastern seaboard of Luzon is less progressive compared to provinces in Central and Western North Luzon province which were linked by the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and the SCTEX.

A feasibility study financed and conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) said at least 16,000 vehicles are expected to use phase I of CLLEx between the cities of Tarlac and Cabanatuan upon completion in 2016. The new expressway is also seen to ease heavy traffic from Plaridel, Bulacan to Cagayan.

“It will also decongest traffic volume in Bulacan because vehicles going to eastern North Luzon will like use the NLEX then SCTEX and the CLLEx,” he said.