ANOTHER section of the Tarlac-Pampanga-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) was officially opened on Wednesday, following the transportation department’s issuance of the toll-operation permit last week.
Private Infrastructure Development Corp. (PIDC) received the said permit for the operation and maintenance of the Binalonan-Pozorrubio of the TPLEx on November 29, the transportation department said in a statement.
Technically called Segment 7 Section 3A-2, the said alignment stretches from Binalonan to Pozorrubio, Pangasinan. It is the second to the last portion of the TPLEx project that would be constructed by PIDC.
The first section was opened in July last year.
Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar said the opening of the new segment will help cut travel time between Tarlac and Pangasinan.
“With the opening of the 10.1-kilometer Pozurrobio segment of the TPLEx expressway, travel time from Tarlac to Pozorrubio is significantly reduced, from two hours and 30 minutes to just 45 minutes,” he said.
To date, almost 20,000 vehicles traverse the stretch of existing TPLEx segments daily, from La Paz, Tarlac to Urdaneta, Pangasinan.