San Miguel Corporation (SMC) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) formally opened on Wednesday the final section of the 89.21-kilometer Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), completing the four-lane toll road to speed up travel to and from Northern Luzon.
The final 11-kilometer segment of TPLEX will further reduce travel time from Tarlac to Rosario, La Union to just one hour from three-and-a-half hours, and Metro Manila-to-Baguio from six hours to just three-and-a-half hours.
With the completion, TPLEX now has 10 interchanges and 11 toll plazas, namely: Tarlac City, Victoria, Pura, Ramos, Anao, in Tarlac; Carmen, Urdaneta, Binalonan, Pozorrubio, Sison in Pangasinan, and Rosario, La Union.
The Sison, Pangasinan exit was added to the original alignment to help locals, and is currently being completed.
Earlier, SMC also received original proponent status for its proposal to extend the TPLEX from Rosario, La Union to San Juan, La Union, whose
beaches have become a hot spot for local tourism.
The proposed four-lane extension project will cover some 59 kilometers.
“Our next goal now is to extend TPLEX all the way to San Juan,” according to Ramon S. Ang, president of SMC, parent company of SMC Infrastructure which built and operates TPLEX.
“This major project will benefit so many regions in Luzon,” he stressed.
“In the face of a global pandemic that greatly affected our economy, San Miguel Corporation is committed to continue investing in growth generating and job-creating projects,” he pointed out.
“By not scaling back on investments in infrastructure, we will be able to create more jobs, keep the flow of goods and services moving, and pave the way for more local tourism for the long term,” Ang explained.
Other projects
Aside from the Pozzurubio-Rosario TPLEX section, the completion of a new unit of Masinloc Power Plant, Skyway 3, Skyway Extension, Skyway 4, and MRT-7 are also in the pipeline.
SMC is likewise pushing through with its plan to build the ₱735-billion Manila International Airport (MIA) project in Bulacan, Bulacan.
The massive development is expected to solve perennial congestion problems at the NAIA, increase the country’s competitiveness as a tourist and investment destination, and produce over a million direct and indirect jobs throughout Bulacan, neighboring Luzon provinces, and nationwide.
SMC has also committed to complete its ongoing capacity expansion program for its food and beverage businesses, which will further create more jobs in various regions nationwide.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March, SMC has spent over ₱13 billion to boost government response, provide life-saving medical equipment and supplies to front liners, and donate food and disinfectant alcohol to disadvantaged communities.
Contributions toward the recovery of the economy, which include initiatives to boost public health capacity and workplace health safety; support the agriculture sector and boost infrastructure, also count among SMC’s priorities in the coming months.