Toll-free expressway connecting Tarlac, Nueva Ecija opens tomorrow

Travel time to and from Tarlac City, Tarlac to Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija will be more convenient and faster as Phase 1 of the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) officially opens tomorrow. This news was confirmed by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar through a Facebook post.

Getting to and from Tarlac and Nueva Ecija is now more convenient

The CLLEX is a toll-free expressway that connects Tarlac City, Tarlac to Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija. It is a four-lane 30-kilometer expressway that is said to reduce travel time from the two cities to just 20 minutes. 

“The Central Luzon Link Expressway is now complete. By July 15, travel time from Tarlac City to Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija will be reduced to only 20 minutes,” said Villar.    

Last June, Villar announced that motorists can start driving through the first 18-km segment of CLLEX. The first segment caters to motorists from Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX)/Tarlac - Pangasinan - La Union Expressway (TPLEX) connection in Tarlac City up to the intersection of Aliaga-Guimba Road in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija.  

However, Villar gave an update that the DPWH will only inaugurate the first 18-kilometer segment of CLLEX tomorrow. This means that CLLEX will only be partially opened up to Aliaga, Nueva Ecija. 

"As declared a month ago, we will inaugurate on Thursday, July 15, 2021, the first 18-kilometer section of CLLEX from Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX)/Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) connection in Tarlac City up to the intersection of Aliaga-Guimba Road in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija,” said Secretary Villar.

The Php 11.8 billion toll-free expressway is funded by a loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). It is projected to cater to more than 11,000 motorists daily, and is expected to help ease traffic at Daan Maharlika Highway. Phase 1 of CLLEX includes a 10.5-km portion at the Tarlac and Rio Chico River Bridge, a 9.2-km segment in Aliaga, and a 10.3-km section in Cabanatuan. 

Central Luzon Link Expressway

Upon completion of Phase 1 of CLLEX, DPWH Secretary Villar said that the agency will work on Phase 2 of the expressway. Phase 2 connects Cabanatuan City to San Jose City, Nueva Ecija, which will pass through the municipalities of Talavera and Llanera. The DPWH added that it will provide an alternate route and help decongest traffic along the Pan Philippine Highway. 

The CLLEX project was first conceptualized in 2010 wherein the DPWH completed the feasibility study for the said expressway, formerly referred to as Central Luzon Expressway. Moreover, it’s one of the projects under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

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