Building the Rosario to San Juan extension component of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) is expected to begin next year, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“We are now in the final stages of negotiation with San Miguel for its unsolicited proposal. Probably by next year the construction will start,” Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan said at the Philippine economic briefing hosted by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Laoag.
The NEDA Board earlier gave the DPWH permission to commence negotiations with the project’s original proponent, San Miguel Corporation for the proposed extension project from Rosario, La Union to San Juan, La Union.
The P23.4 billion project involves a 59.4-kilometer four-lane toll road from the exit of TPLEX in Rosario to San Juan. It will cut the point to point travel time from 96 minutes to 42 minutes and bring economic development along the expressway.
The extension project is divided into three segments, with the first spanning 18 kilometers from Rosario to Tubao. The second segment will stretch 23 kilometers from Tubao to Naguilian and the last segment will run 18.4 kilometers from Naguilian to San Juan.
According to the DPWH, the first segment spanning from Rosario to Tubao, La Union is seen to be operational by 2026 and the entire project completed by 2028.
San Miguel-led Private Infra Dev Corp. holds the TPLEX concession, which is an 88.85-kilometer, four-lane, high-speed toll road that connects Northern Luzon to Manila. It is designed to integrate with the other major toll roads such as North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX).
The construction of TPLEX began in 2010 in three phases. The first was completed in April 2014, running from Tarlac City to Carmen, Pangasinan.
The second stretch from Carmen to Urdaneta was completed in December 2014. The third section is from Urdaneta to Rosario, La Union.
