CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced Friday the completion of two major segments of Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) Phase 1.
“Construction of 4.1-kilometer Contract Package (CP) 1 Tarlac Section and 6.4-km CP 2 Rio Chico River Bridge Section are now 100 percent finished,” DPWH Secretary Mark Villar disclosed.
DPWH Undersecretary Emil Sadain said CP 1 also covers construction of 300-meter temporary off and on-ramp to be used as exit in La Paz-Victoria Road while CP 2 includes the construction of 1.5-kilometer Rio Chico River viaduct, 42-meter Sta Lucia River Bridge and 38-meter La Paz-Victoria underpass bridge.
Meanwhile, CP 3 and 4 are targeted to be completed by April 2021.
“The 9.2-kilometer CP 3 covering Aliaga section which includes the construction of 42-meter Guimba-Aliaga underpass bridge and Aliaga interchange is 77% completed while construction of 10.3-kilometer CP 4 or Cabanatuan Section which also covers Cabanatuan and San Juan interchanges is 84% completed,” Sadain furthered.
An additional 4.8-kilometer component of the expressway project from the junction of Carmen-Cabanatuan Road is the Zaragoza Interchange section which comprises of 2.8-kilometer access free road and 2-kilometer interchange ramp that will cross over the embankment of CLLEX main expressway by an overpass.
CLLEX Project Phase 1 begins from the connection of Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway in Balingcanaway, Tarlac City and ends at the Pan-Philippine Highway (Daang Maharlika) in Caalibangbangan, Cabanatuan City.
Upon full completion of the entire alignment, CLLEX Phase 1 will cut travel time between Tarlac City and Cabanatuan City from 70 minutes to just 20 minutes.
About 11,200 motorists would benefit from the project and traffic at Daang Maharlika Highway will ease by about 48%.