The Department of Public Works and Highways has good news for residents of Cabanatuan City: Phase 1 of the Central Luzon Link Expressway is scheduled to open in December. Once the entire expressway is completed, the current 70-minute drive between Cabanatuan City and Tarlac City is expected to be cut down to just 20 minutes. Around 25 kilometers or so—a.k.a. Phase 1—is already at 82% complete.
The Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) is a new four-lane, 30-kilometer stretch that links the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway. Once the P14.94-billion infrastructure project is completed, it will end at Daang Maharlika in Barangay Caalibangbangan, Cabanatuan City, and is expected to ease traffic along Daang Maharlika Highway by 48%. What's more, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it will make the movement of goods toward Eastern Luzon more effecient.
According to DPWH undersecretary Emil Sadain, the resumption of construction works—following a suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic—means the majority of contract packages one to four will be finished toward the end of the year. He added that construction is now being fast-tracked. Once finished, CLLEX will serve at least 11,200 motorists and commuters on a daily basis.