Motorists can now experience a new freeway here in the country. If like us, you have always been envious of numerous expressways that are free of charge in more developed countries, well this news is for you. The Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) is now open, and it will be permanently free of charge.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar has announced on his Facebook page that “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.”
The first 18km of the 30km CLLEX expressway will be open for motorists today, July 15, and will be permanently free to use. “This will be of service to motorists from SCTEx/TPLEx connection in Tarlac City up to the intersection of Aliaga-Guimba Road in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija,” says Secretary Villar.
What will be opened are the Tarlac and Chico River Bridge sector (10.5km) and the Aligaga zone (9.2km), which are part of the CLLEX Phase 1 project along with Cabanatuan segment (10.3km), which is still ongoing construction.
What’s more amazing about this news is that the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) will permanently be free for motorists to use. This is because the CLLEX is directly funded by the General Appropriations Act (GAA), which means that this is funded and maintained solely by the government through taxpayers’ money; whereas private-public partnership (PPP) projects, such as the Skyway Stage 3 project, is a business venture and partnership between a private sector and the government.
The 30km Phase 1 portion of the CLLEX will connect Tarlac City and Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija. The freeway will have four lanes and will accommodate around 11,200 motorists daily.
The opening of CLLEX Phase 2 is expected around April next year, it will also be permanently free of charge. Phase 2 will extend from Cabanatuan City to San Jose in Nueva Ecija. Once fully completed, the whole CLLEX will have a total distance of 65km.
