Motorists will finally gain access to the first 18-kilometer (km) portion of the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) from Tarlac City to Nueva Ecija when the road opens next month.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)Secretary Mark A. Villar expressed confidence Tuesday, June 8 that CLLEX would become an efficient alternate route for the motoring public going to Nueva Ecija.
"Despite work slowdown due to the pandemic, the first 18-kilometer segment of CLLEX will be of service to motorsts from SCTEX/TPLEX connection in Tarlac City up to the intersection of Aliaga-Guimba Road in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija this July 2021," Villar said.
The entire 30-km expressway project is now 94 percent complete, the secretary added.
It is being implemented under a P11.811-billion loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
According to Undersecretary Emil Sadain, the delivery of right of way (ROW) requirements are being fast-tracked. This is made possible by the assistance of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) in handling expropriation complaints and other ROW-related cases.
“We are hopeful that we will finally secure full site possession of the remaining required ROW to allow our construction activities to go on full throttle," Sadain said.
Expropriation proceedings with the appropriate court were initiated for properties whose owners were unable to grant the request to donate or accept price offers for negotiated sale within a given timeframe.
Once fully completed, CLLEX will shorten the usual travel time of 70 minutes between Tarlac City and Cabanatuan City to just 20 minutes.
The new expressway will also form a key east-west link for the expressway network of Central Luzon, in effect ensuring a continuous, seamless traffic for the motoring public from Metro Manila and vice versa.