CABANATUAN CITY — Travel time between Tarlac and Cabanatuan City is expected to drop from one and a half hours to just 20 minutes following the opening of the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) Contract Package 4.
The newly opened segment connects the expressway to the Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEX), allowing faster and more efficient travel for motorists.
Mark Jaybert Nolasco, a motorist who frequently travels from Cabanatuan to Tarlac to buy pigs for their small lechon business, said the new route will help reduce fuel expenses with its shorter travel time.
He added that lower fuel consumption can also help stabilize prices of goods—especially food products like theirs.
Nolasco is one of about 11,500 motorists expected to benefit from the new segment daily.
Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon emphasized that the project is important amid rising fuel prices, noting that shorter travel time translates to lower fuel consumption and reduced transport costs.
“Kasi ‘pag napaiksi natin yung oras ng biyahe ng mga kababayan natin, bababa ang konsumo ng gasolina at diesel, bababa rin ang gastos nila. Tapos, mas madali pa silang makakauwi sa mga pamilya nila nang mas mabilis,” Dizon said.
He added that the expressway will help ease congestion along MacArthur Highway, especially during peak travel periods such as this Holy Week, as motorists can now reach Cabanatuan more quickly through the new exit.
Meanwhile, Transportation Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez said the government continues to prioritize convenient, safe, and efficient travel, noting that infrastructure projects like CLLEX play a crucial role in easing traffic, shortening travel time, supporting the movement of goods, and stabilizing prices.
“Ito po ay isang magandang proyekto sapagkat kapag ginagamit na natin ito, maiiwasan din natin ang mga traffic pagdating sa ating mga alternate roads… At ang isa sa mga pinag-uusapan nga namin ni Secretary Vince, at least makakatulong din tayo sa kalakal ng mga goods natin, at makakadagdag sa pag-stabilize ng presyo ng mga bilihin,” Lopez said.
The newly opened segment stretches from the San Juan Interchange in Aliaga to the Cabanatuan exit, completing Phase 1 of the 29.2-kilometer, four-lane expressway.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the opening of the segment and announced that it will be toll-free until December to help ease traffic along MacArthur Highway.
The P10-billion CLLEX Phase 1 was funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency through official development assistance.
The project is part of wider efforts to strengthen Luzon’s transport network through east-west corridors that complement existing north-south highways. Maria Asumpta Estefanie C. Reyes/PIA-3
