IBA, Zambales — The long-delayed construction of the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEx), which will interconnect strategic areas in Central Luzon, particularly towns and cities in Tarlac and Nueva Ecija, is expected to resume in the second quarter of this year following the resolution of problems besetting the government road project.
Zambales Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., who chairs both the Regional Development Council’s Sectoral Committee on Infrastructure Development and the Regional Peace and Order Council in Central Luzon, said the project regained headway after a productive dialogue last March 19 between project officials and landowners affected by the project.
The project, which previously bogged down due to delayed payment of right-of-way claims for properties along the 35.7-kilometer route, is designed to connect with the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) south of the region and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) in the north and provide an important east-west link.
East-West link in Luzon
Upon completion, the P11.8-billion expressway will shorten travel time between Tarlac City and Cabanatuan City from 70 minutes to 20 minutes, said Ebdane.
“The project already has the green light now, as the affected landowners have already dismantled the barricades they have set up along the highway. So, we expect construction to resume in the second quarter,” Ebdane said.
“We met with the concerned landowners and farmers, and we managed to solve the problem out of the box,” added the governor, who once served as Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Successful dialogue
The Zambales official facilitated the dialogue which also involved officials of the DPWH Unified Project Management Office-Road Management Cluster 1 and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), as well as Mayor Cristino M. Joson of Quezon, Nueva Ecija.
Construction of the CLLEx initially started in May 2016 and consisted of five contract packages, three of which have already been completed.
Ebdane said the four-lane expressway will provide a free-flowing alternative route that will decongest traffic along the Pan Philippine Highway (PPH) between Tarlac City and San Jose City in Nueva Ecija.
“This will also form an important east-west road link in Region 3, and provide safe, fast and reliable connection to Metro Manila and other critical development areas in Central Luzon,” he added.
CLLEX is part of the Luzon Spine Expressway Network which is planned to extend from the northernmost part of Luzon, Ilocos, to the southernmost part, the Bicol region.
Central Luzon projects
Meanwhile, the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. allocated a total of P126.38 billion in the 2024 national budget to fund the implementation of about 2,995 infrastructure projects in Central Luzon.
This year’s allocation for Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 3 represents 13.07 percent share of the agency's overall budget.
DPWH Regional Director Roseller Tolentino disclosed that it signifies a substantial increase of 29.27% compared to the previous year's budget of P97.7 billion.
Of this amount, P14.34 billion will be allocated for 140 projects to be implemented by the Regional Office, while the remaining funds will be utilized by the 16 District Engineering Offices.
“Ensuring a safe and reliable national road network system, which accounts for 18% of the region's budget, reflects the department’s core mandate and includes a total of 452 projects across Central Luzon, while 28% of the budget is allocated for constructing 430 flood control projects along major or principal rivers, emphasizing the priority given to enhancing infrastructure resilience against flooding particularly in identified flood-risk areas,” Tolentino said.
For his part, Assistant Regional Director Melquiades Sto. Domingo has attributed the recent rise in Central Luzon's economy to the concerted efforts in infrastructure development, specifically highlighting the completion of vital connectivity projects and multipurpose facilities by the DPWH, which have enhanced public service delivery.
“Since 2016, we have seen a steady increase in our budget, and this helped us, especially our District Engineering Offices, in the implementation of transformative projects that ushered in a new era of economic prosperity for Central Luzon, establishing the region as an economic powerhouse,” he explained.
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