TPLEX final stretch from Pozorrubio to La Union to open July 15

The last stretch of the 88.85-kilometer Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) would be opened to motorists by next month, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced Monday.

In an emailed statement, the DPWH said it would open the 11-kilometer section that connects Pozorrubio in Pangasinan to Rosario in La Union on July 15.

The section was expected to cut down the travel time from Tarlac to Rosario by an hour from the current 3.5 hours and would decrease travel time to the Ilocos Region and the Cordilleras.

The P24-billion TPLEX project involved the design, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance of the expressway connecting Tarlac to La Union.

The project was divided into three sections: from Tarlac City to Rosales, Pangasinan; from Rosales, Pangasinan to Urdaneta City, Pangasinan; and from Urdaneta City, Pangasinan to Rosario, La Union.

The concession for TPLEX was held by the San Miguel Corp.'s Private Infra Dev Corporation. It is also integrated with the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), and the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx).

The DPWH had expected the TPLEX to be completed by 2019. — DVM, GMA News