Following the completion of the first phase of the expressway, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) intends to tap the private sector for the operation and maintenance (O&M) of the Central Luzon Expressway (CLLEX) project.
“It (toll) is free for the foreseeable future. The government will maintain it, although we are in talks with private sector partners for its maintenance and operation. We really want a PPP for it,” Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon told reporters.
On Tuesday, the DPWH opened Contract Package 4 of the CLLEX, which connects the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) to Cabanatuan City.
The inauguration coincided with the completion of Phase 1 of CLEX, a 29.2-kilometre, four-lane expressway.
The DPWH website states that Package 4 includes the 10.3-kilometer Cabanatuan section, which is estimated to cost P3 billion.
CCLEX Phase 1 is divided into five contract packages, and was originally estimated to cost P14.94 billion.
The CCLEX forms part of the lateral (east–west) high-standard highway network of roads within 200 kilometers of Metro Manila. — Ashley Erica O. jose