Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday led the opening of the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) Contract Package 4, with the newly opened segment set to be toll-free until December.
The latest section connects the Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEX) to Cabanatuan City, cutting travel time between Tarlac and Nueva Ecija from one and a half hours to just 20 minutes.
“Libre muna. Kaya puwede nang dumaan ang mga iba’t ibang truck para marilyebo natin pa ang traffic sa MacArthur (Highway),” Marcos said.
[Translation: It will be free for now, so trucks can use it and help ease traffic along MacArthur Highway.]
The president said faster travel time will also reduce fuel consumption and help keep transport and logistics costs down.
“Malaking bagay ito… sa bawas ng tagal ng biyahe ay mababawasan din ang konsumo sa fuel,” he said.
[Translation: This is significant… shorter travel time means lower fuel consumption.]
He added that lower transport costs are key to stabilizing food prices, particularly in Nueva Ecija – the country’s rice granary.
The newly opened segment connects the San Juan Interchange in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija to the Cabanatuan exit, completing Phase 1 of the 29.2-kilometer, four-lane expressway.
Funded through official development assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the project is expected to serve around 11,500 motorists daily.
Malacañang said CLLEX forms part of the government’s broader push to improve east-west connectivity, decongest major roads such as MacArthur Highway, and accelerate movement of goods across Central Luzon.
