SMC, DPWH to open last TPLEx segment on July 15

Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are set to open the final segment of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) this coming July 15.

Started in 2010, the 88.85-kilometer expressway is one of the major toll road projects in Luzon, stretching from Tarlac to La Union.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said the final segment is the 11-kilometer Pozorrubio, Pangasinan to Rosario, La Union section.
It will reduce travel time from Tarlac to Rosario by an hour from the current 3.5 hours.

The P24 billion, four-lane toll road project implemented by DPWH involves the design, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance by the private sector.

SMC’s Private Infra Dev Corporation is the concession holder of the TPLEx.

The project is connected to the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTex) and the North Luzon Expressway, which extends to Metro Manila.

The completion of the TPLEx’s final section will make it easer for motorists to reach the Ilocos Region and Baguio City in the Cordilleras.

From the Rosario rotunda, motorists bound for Baguio have three route options—Marcos Highway (go further to Pugo) or Kennon Road or the Asin Nangalisan Road.

The tollway has nine exits: La Paz in Tarlac City, Victoria, Gerona, Paniqui and Moncada in Tarlac; Rosales, Urdaneta City and Pozzorrubio in Pangasinan, and Rosario in La Union.

Edited by TSB