MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – The provincial government of La Union is elated with the expected tourism and economic activity boost following the signing of the Concession Agreement for the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) Extension project.
The concession agreement was signed by officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the SMC TPLEX Extension Infrastructure Corporation (STEIC) on July 3, 2024 at the DPWH central office in Port Area, Manila.
La Union Governor Raphaelle Veronica Ortega-David, in a statement on Friday, said the extension project would reduce travel time between the towns of Rosario and San Juan, a well-known surfing destination.
“With the reduced travel, it will definitely be a big help to welcome more tourists, and new partner investors here in our province,” she said.
The 59.4 kilometers TPLEX extension project is a four-lane toll road with five interchanges starting from the last exit of the TPLEX in Rosario, then to Tubao, Naguilian, Bauang, and San Juan towns in La Union.
It is funded with PHP23.36 billion through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the DPWH and San Miguel Holdings Corporation (SMHC) and is expected to reduce travel time between Rosario and San Juan from the current 1.5-hour travel time to around 40 minutes.
“This progress will not only make the travel of our tourists fast, accessible, and convenient but, also improve the delivery of agricultural products,” Ortega-David said.
DPWH-Ilocos Region director Engineer Ronnel Tan, in an interview on Thursday, said the TPLEX extension project would be composed of three segments; Rosario-Tubao as the first segment, Tubao-Naguilian as the second segment, and the Naguilian-San Juan as the third segment.
"Civil works or the construction of roads in the first segment or the Rosario-Tubao will begin on July 2025 and is expected to be finished in 2028," he said.
Acquisition of right of way for the second segment will begin in July 2024 while its civil works will start in July 2027 and is expected to be completed in July 2023, he said.
Land acquisition for the third segment will begin in July 2028 while its civil works start in July 2030.
"The first segment will be operational by 2028 and the 30 years operation and maintenance of the main proponent, the San Miguel Holdings Corporation, also starts (that year and will last) until 2058," Tan said.
The project aims to provide additional expressway that will interconnect the Ilocos Region, Central Luzon, and Metro Manila.
This project is among the 197 Infrastructure Flagship Projects (IFPs) of the Marcos administration. (PNA)
