The entire 30.7-kilometer stretch of the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) Phase I from Tarlac to Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija will be fully operational by the third quarter of 2025, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said on Thursday.
It said the project’s two remaining segments are expected to be completed by then.
The CCLEX project consists of five contract packages, with three segments covering about 20 kms that are currently operational. The remaining segments, contract Package 4 and Package 5, would be completed by the third quarter of this year, DPWH Undersecretary Emil Sadain said.
In a statement, Sadain said that contract package 4, a 10.3-km segment known as the Cabanatuan section was 98 percent complete as of Thursday, May 8, and will be open to the public by July 2025, despite a two-year delay caused by right-of-way issues.
Sadain, who is also in charge of the DPWH infrastructure flagship projects, said the project would reduce travel time between Tarlac City and Cabanatuan City from 70 minutes to just 20 minutes, benefitting over 11,200 motorists daily.
Key components of the contract package 4, with the builder Qingdao Municipal Construction Group Co. Ltd., include the interchange, three bridges, eight reinforced concrete box culverts (RCBCs), seven farm passages, multiple underpasses and asphalt pavement works.
Meanwhile, contract package 5, the Zaragoza Interchange, which is being constructed by the Pacific Concrete Products, Inc., and the China Construction First Group Corp. Ltd consortium, was 73.46 percent complete as of May 8, and has been projected to be operational in the latter part of September this year, the DPWH said.
This segment includes the following: the Zaragoza interchange bridge; the 4.88-km access road, two bridges, farm passages and irrigation canals.
While most of the CLLEX was funded through a loan agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency(JICA), this package has been fully financed by the government of the Philippines, Sadain said.
Once completed, the CLLEXPhase I is expected to provide a fast, safe, and reliable route across Central Luzon or Region III, significantly boosting logistics, reducing traffic congestion, and linking urban centers with key agricultural zones.
CLLEX is a flagship project under the “Build Better More” infrastructure program and forms a key component of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Bagong Pilipinas agenda. The initiative aims to stimulate inclusive growth, strengthen regional connectivity, and promote balanced development beyond Metro Manila.
