Central Luzon Link Expressway will open on July 15

Remember when the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said that the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) will open this July?

Well, the DPWH kept their word as the new expressway will open this week. DPWH Secretary Mark Villar confirmed the news after he posted a video showing the already completed 18-km segment of the expressway. On July 15, the DPWH will hold an opening ceremony of CLLEX.

“By July 15, travel time from Tarlac City to Cabanatuan City in Nueva Ecija will be reduced to only 20 minutes,” said Villar.

Phase 1 of CLLEX was initially scheduled to open in December 2020. But due to the pandemic, they had to move its partial opening to April 2021. The DPWH pushed it back once more to July 2021 after another bout of quarantine restrictions delayed the construction of the expressway.

Phase 1 includes the Tarlac and Rio Chico River Bridge section (10.5-km), the Aliaga segment (9.2-km), and the Cabanatuan portion (10.3-km). Tomorrow, only the Rio Chico River Bridge and Aliaga sections will be opened to the public. Work on the Cabanatuan segment is still ongoing.

The expressway has four lanes in total and is estimated to benefit 11,200 motorists and commuters. It is set to reduce traffic along Daang Maharlika by 48%.

In the future, CLLEX will be extended from Cabanatuan City to San Jose City, Nueva Ecija under the project's Phase II plan. Once that portion is complete, CLLEX will have a total length of 65.70-km.