Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway

Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway
NLEx Extension Phase 2
North Luzon West Expressway (NLWE) Phase 2

Map of expressways in Luzon, with the Tarlac‑Pangasinan‑La Union Expressway in red
Route information
Length: 88.9 km (55.2 mi)
Component
highways:
Major junctions
North end: Binalonan, Pangasinan (Future: Rosario Interchange in Barangay Saitan, Rosario, La Union)
South end: Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (in Tarlac City, Tarlac)
Location
Major cities:
Towns:

[1]

Highway system
Highways in the Philippines
TPLEx from Tarlac City

The Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEx) is an 88.85-kilometre (55.21 mi) four-lane expressway currently under construction north of Manila, in the Philippines. It connects central to northern Luzon,[2] with its southernmost terminal located in Tarlac City, Tarlac and its planned northernmost terminus currently slated to be at Rosario, La Union.[1][3]

The first section of the project, from Tarlac City to Pura, Tarlac, has been operating on a "soft opening" basis since October 31, 2013, and was ready for full operation in November 2013.[4]

Part of the second segment, which will take motorists up to Ramos, Tarlac opened last December 23, 2013. The remaining section from Anao, Tarlac up to Rosales, Pangasinan is projected for a mid-2014 opening, and the final section ending in Rosario, La Union, is slated for completion in 2016.[1][3]

Proposals have also been raised for extending the project all the way to Laoag in Ilocos Norte.[2]

The TPLEX is the Phase 2 of the North Luzon West Expressway and also the extension of North Luzon Expressway and Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway from Tarlac to Rosario, La Union.

The expressway crosses the 3 rivers within the province of Pangasinan. The rivers along the TPLEx area are Agno River, Binalonan River and Bued River.

History

Conception and Early Development

Although calls for the creation of an expressway system that would stretch from the Philippine Capital of Manila all the way to Rosario, the southernmost town of the province of La Union, had been raised even before the turn of the millennium,[5] these calls first actually began to bear concrete fruit in the mid-2000s.

In 2005, construction began on the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx), creating a linked expressway system which reached all the way to Tarlac City, Tarlac - an improvement over the North Luzon Expressway's terminus which reached only up to Mabalacat, Pampanga.

In 2006, Congressional representatives from Northern Luzon took advantage of the final reading of House Bill 5749[6] to lobby for a project that would extend the expressway system to Rosario, as a means to boost trade, tourism, and speed up transportation in the provinces of Tarlac, Eastern Pangasinan and La Union.[7] As a result of this lobbying, the Arroyo administration announced in October 2006 a ten-year period in which the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) would be extended from Mabalacat, Pampanga to Rosario, La Union and the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) would be extended from Calamba, Laguna to Lucena City in Quezon and eventually up to Matnog, Sorsogon.[8]

In 2008, the SCTEx was formally opened, setting the stage for the development of the TPLEx, which would extend beyond the SCTEx' terminus in Tarlac City.

The initial plan for the construction of the TPLEx was that it would be carried out in two phases: The first phase would involve the construction of two lanes while the second phase entailed its expansion into four lanes to accommodate 25,000 vehicles.

The proposed superhighway would be built parallel to MacArthur Highway, passing through the city of Tarlac and the municipalities of La Paz, Gerona, Victoria, Pura, Anao and Ramos in Tarlac, Nampicuan and Cuyapo in Nueva Ecija and Rosales, Villasis, Urdaneta, Binalonan, Pozorrubio and Sison in Pangasinan and Rosario, La Union.[9]

Development Stage Tollway Alignment
Phase 1 Tarlac City, Tarlac to Rosales, Pangasinan
Phase 2 Rosales, Pangasinan to Urdaneta City, Pangasinan
Phase 3 Urdaneta City, Pangasinan to Rosario, La Union

The financing, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the Tarlac-La Union Toll Expressway Phase 1 was eventually awarded to Private Infra Development Corporation (PIDC)[10][11]

Project Financing

Three local banks undertook the financing of the TPLEX: BDO Unibank, Development Bank of the Philippines and Land Bank of the Philippines. This made TPLEX notable in the Infrastructure and Development Financing industry "the first Public-Private Partnership project in the Philippines to feature an all-domestic cast of sponsors and lenders.” London-based Project Finance Magazine named the TPLEX as its "Asia Pacific Transport Deal of the Year" for 2011.[12]

The project is being implemented through public-private partnership using the Build–operate–transfer (BOT) scheme in which the project proponent is responsible for the design, financing, and construction of the initial two-lane expressway.

As each section of the toll road is completed, it is turned over to the government. The government then grants the proponent the franchise to operate and maintain the toll road, after which the proponent, after a certificate to commence toll operation issued by the Toll Regulatory Board, operates the road on behalf of the government under a long term concession agreement.

Development Disputes

Land acquisition

A contributor to delays in the early development of the TPLEX was the acquisition of the Right of Way for the project. With the TPLEX identified as a high priority government project,[13] the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was given the task of acquiring the Right of Way for the project's proposed alignment, and was allocated P793 million in the hope that the process could be expedited.[14] However, numerous legal disputes regarding affected properties, notably in the Tarlac segment of the project,[15] meant delays in the negotiation process being undertaken by the DPWH.[16][17]

Alignment of Rosario Interchange

There was also some controversy when a proposal in congress was brought up to change the alignment of the project to change the location of the final interchange in Rosario, La Union.[18] [19][20]

Construction of Phase 1 (Tarlac City to Rosales)

The first phase of the Tarlac-La Union Toll Expressway started in January, 2010.[21][22]

In April 2013, San Miguel Corporation announced that the segment from Tarlac City up to Urdaneta will be built with four lanes, instead of the initial plan of two lanes only. However, this also pushed back the opening day of the expressway from June 2013 to November 2013.[23]

Tarlac City - Pura Segment Opening

On October 25, 2013, the Toll Regulatory Board authorized the issuance of the Toll Operation Permit for the Tarlac City - Pura segment of the TPLEX after the construction of that segment was completed by Private Infra Dev Corp. (PIDC), the all-Filipino consortium backed by conglomerates San Miguel Corp. (SMC) and DMCI Holdings Inc.[4]

This first phase, referred to as Section 1A, begins with a connection to SCTEX, then stretches 17 kilometres (11 miles) from Tarlac City to Victoria, and then to Pura, Tarlac. It is expected to cut current travel time to Baguio by as much as 40 minutes.[4]

Pura - Ramos Segment Opening

On December 23, 2013, The expressway opens up to Ramos, Tarlac bringing TPLEX up to 23 kilometres (14 mi) of its operational length.

Ramos - Carmen/Rosales Segment Opening

On April 16, 2014, Phase 1 of the project was completed when the Rosales section was opened in time for the Lenten traffic and it is the halfway to go to Baguio.

Construction of Phase 2 (Rosales to Urdaneta)

Carmen - Urdaneta Segment Opening

In December 2014, Section 2 of the project, covering 13.72 km from Carmen to Urdaneta, was opened to traffic, as had PIDC president Mark Dumol had announced on the day the completion of Phase 1 was announced.

Construction of Phase 3 (Urdaneta to Rosario)

In the December 2014 announcement for the opening of Phase 2, Dumol also projected that the last section, covering 25.83 km from Urdaneta to Rosario and including an exit in Pozorrubio, would be completed some time in 2015.[24] However, there were delays in the implementation of the project, which included a highly disputed proposal to divert the exit 7 kilometres (4.3 miles) away to San Fabian in Pangasinan.

The DPWH and the PIDC announced in July 2015 that they will continue to follow the original plan for the last phase exiting in Rosario, adding that this last phase would be completed by the following year, 2016.[25]

This development phase was further subdivided into Phase 3A, from (Urdaneta to Pozorrubio), and Phase 3B, (Pozorrubio to Rosario). Section 31 would include trumpet-type interchanges at Binalonan and Pozorrubio, while section 3B would end at a roundabout-style interchange in Rosario La Union.[26]

After the opening of the exit at Binalonan in September 2016, the DPWH said segment 3B from Pozorrubio to Rosario is expected to be completed in April 2018.[27]

Urdaneta to Binalonan segment opening

By mid-August 2016, the first exit of section 3A, at Binalonan, Pangasinan, had been opened to the driving public. Notably, this created easy access to the Minor Basilica of Our Lady of Manaoag, located only 10 minutes away from the new Binalonan exit plaza.[28]

Binalonan to Pozorrubio segment status

In September 2016 The DPWH said the second exit of section 3A, which covers the 7.53-km from Binalonan to Pozorrubio, was expected to open in December 2016.[27]

Extension to Laoag

On June 11, 2013, at the Annual Stockholders Meeting of San Miguel Corporation, its Chairman, Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. revealed plans of extending the expressway north to Laoag, Ilocos Norte. He said that the extension of the toll road business to Laoag has been raised during the Arroyo administration.[29]

Technical specifications

Toll

Class Toll[30]
Class 1
(Cars, Motorcycles, SUVs, Jeepneys)		 ₱3.50/km
Class 2
(Buses, Light Trucks)		 ₱8.70/km
Class 3
(Heavy Trucks)		 ₱10.50/km

Features

Special features of the expressway will include:[31]

Exits

Current Exit

Exits are numbered by kilometer post, with Rizal Park in Manila designated as Kilometer 0. Exits start at 228 because the SCTEX is connected with TPLEX. Thus, the last exit of SCTEX will be succeeded by an exit in TPLEX.

Km no. North bound Km no. South bound Exit Interchange type Location Remarks
228 228 Tarlac Exit Partial Cloverleaf (end of expressway) Barangay Amucao,
Tarlac City, Tarlac		 This is the southern terminus of TPLEX. Exits connected to Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway.
237 237 Victoria Exit Trumpet Barangay Baculong,
Victoria, Tarlac		 This exit connects to Tarlac-Victoria Road. Westbound goes to Tarlac City. Eastbound goes to Barangay Baculong and to Victoria, Tarlac.
134 Petron Service Area Northbound Tarlac Under construction
134 Petron Service Area Southbound Tarlac Under construction
249 249 Pura Exit Trumpet Barangay Singat,
Pura, Tarlac		 This exit connects to Gerona-Guimba Road. Westbound goes to Gerona. Eastbound goes to Guimba, Talugtug, Muñoz, San Jose and Cagayan Valley Region.
256 256 Ramos Exit Trumpet Barangay Guiteb,
Ramos, Tarlac		 This exit connects to Paniqui-Ramos Road. Westbound goes to Paniqui, Camiling in Tarlac and some towns in Pangasinan. Eastbound goes to Ramos.
267 267 Anao Exit Trumpet Barangay San Francisco East,
Anao, Tarlac		 This exit connects to Moncada-Anao Road. Westbound goes to Moncada. Eastbound goes to Anao, Nampicuan and Cuyapo
280 280 Pagupan Economic Exit Trumpet Pagupan Economic City, Rosales Currently Under Construction. This is Future Exit Connects to Pagupan Economic City
288 288 Carmen Exit Trumpet Barangay Tomana East,
Rosales, Pangasinan		 This exit connects to MacArthur Highway which will take you to SM City Rosales. This entry/exit point would take you to Barangay Tumana & would take you to Umingan, San Quintin, Balungao, Tayug, Alaminos, Lingayen, Bolinao, Bayambang and San Carlos.
299 299 Urdaneta Exit Trumpet Dilan-Paurido,
Urdaneta, Pangasinan		 This exit connects to MacArthur Highway. This entry/exit point would take you to Urdaneta, Santa Barbara, Calasiao and Dagupan.
303 303 Binalonan Exit Trumpet Barangay Linmansangan,
Binalonan, Pangasinan		 This exit will connect to Binalonan-Dagupan Road. Westbound goes to Manaoag and San Fabian. Eastbound goes to San Manuel, Binalonan Proper, and MacArthur Highway.
310 310 Pozorrubio Exit Trumpet Barangay ?,
Pozorrubio, Pangasinan		 This exit will connect to Manaoag-Pozorrubio Road. Westbound goes to Manaoag. Eastbound goes to Pozorrubio, Binalonan and Sison in Pangasinan.
317 317 Rosario Exit Roundabout Barangay? ,
Rosario, La Union		 This is the northern terminus of TPLEX. This exit will connect to MacArthur Highway and Pugo-Rosario Road. Westbound goes to town proper of Rosario, La Union and some towns in La Union, Ilocos Sur, and Ilocos Norte. Northbound goes Pugo, La Union and Marcos Highway which will take you to Baguio and some towns in Benguet. Eastbound goes to Kennon Road.

Former Exit

Km no. North bound Km no. South bound Exit Interchange type Location Remarks
289 Tomana Exit Half Diamond Barangay Tomana East,
Rosales, Pangasinan		 This exit connects to Carmen-Poblacion Rosales National Road and can take you also to MacArthur Highway. It can also take you to the aforementioned exits in Carmen Exit. It also serves as temporary exit when Carmen Exit is not yet operational.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Arcangel, Xianne (2013-10-29). "First phase of TPLEX to begin operations Wednesday". GMA News Online. GMA Network Inc. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
  2. 1 2 Lowe, Aya (2013-06-12). "TPLEx may extend up to Laoag — Cojuangco". Rappler.com. Ortigas Center, Pasig City: Rappler, Inc. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  3. 1 2 Rebuyas, Michael (2013-11-02). "17-km stretch of TPLEx now open to motorists". The Philippine Star. Mandaluyong City, Philippines. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  4. 1 2 3 Camus, Miguel R. (2013-10-27). "First phase of TPLEx set to open on Oct. 30". Philippine Daily Inquirer. MAkati, Metro Manila: Inquirer.net. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  5. ↑ "Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEx) Fact Sheet" (PDF). PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP (PPP) CENTER FOR PUBLIC INFORMATION. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  6. ↑ "PNCC to extend NLEX to Rosario in La Union". Business Mirror. Makati City, Philippines: Philippine Business Daily Mirror Publishing Inc. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  7. ↑ "NEDA BOARD APPROVES TPLEX, INCREASES FINANCING FOR ARMM SOCIAL FUND". National Economic and Development Authority (Philippines). 2010-02-02. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  8. ↑ Diaz, Jess (2006-10-07). "Malacañang approves extension of NLEX, SLEX". The Philippine Star. Mandaluyong City, Philippines. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  9. ↑ NEDA Project Proposal Monitoring
  10. ↑ "San Miguel acquires 35% stake in Tarlac-La Union road project". abs-cbnNEWS.com. 2009-08-27. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  11. ↑ Zurbano, Joel (2008-02-04). "Up Ahead: Fast Road to Baguio". Manila Standard. City of Manila, Philippines: Kamahalan Publishing Corporation. Archived from the original on 2008-02-05.
  12. ↑ Zurbano, Joel (2012-04-22). "Tollway is 'deal of the year'". The Manila Standard. City of Manila, Philippines: Kamahalan Publishing Corporation. Archived from the original on 2012-04-22.
  13. ↑ "PGMA lauds private sector for joining TPLEX project". balita.ph. Philippine News Agency. 2010-03-01. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  14. ↑ "DPWH speeds up TPLEX construction". Manila Bulletin. Intramuros, Manila, Philippines: Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. 2011-09-14. Archived from the original on 2011-09-14. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  15. ↑ Cervantes, Ding (2013-01-04). "TARLAC-LA UNION EXPRESSWAY PROJECT -- Farmer groups: DPWH paying 'fake' claimants". Punto! Central Luzon. City of San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines: LLL Trimedia Coordinators. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
  16. ↑ Sotelo, Yolanda (2013-01-06). "TPLEX opens in June, cuts travel time by one hour". Northern Watch. Dagupan City, Pangasinan. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
  17. ↑ http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/668390/tplex-rerouting-squabble-sizzles
  18. ↑ Palangchao, Harley (2011-05-01). "Solons bat for original TPLEX plan to boost tourism, economy". Baguio Midland Courier. Baguio, Philippines.
  19. ↑ http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/16628/a-hump-at-expressway%E2%80%99s-endpoint
  20. ↑ http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/03/06/tplex-exit-re-do-costly-cosalan/
  21. ↑ Role, Jennilyne C. (2010-01-27). "PGMA leads TPLEX groundbreaking". Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  22. ↑ "Arroyo to lead expressway groundbreaking". Sun Star Pangasinan. Ortigas Center, Pasig City, Philippines: Sun Star Publishing Inc. February 28, 2010. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
  23. ↑ Hermoso, Tito (24 April 2013). "What happens next?". AutoIndustriya.com. AutoIndustriya. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  24. ↑ http://www.philstar.com/business/2014/04/14/1312275/smc-open-new-segment-tplex
  25. ↑ http://www.philstar.com/nation/2015/07/13/1476227/tplex-exit-la-union-go-planned
  26. ↑ http://www.dpwh.gov.ph/PPP/projs/tplex.htm accessed September 1, 2016
  27. 1 2 http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/816473/new-tplex-exit-shortens-travel-to-pilgrim-site
  28. ↑ TPLEX'S BINALONAN TOLL PLAZA NOW OPEN. The Philippine Star, 16 August 2016. http://www.pressreader.com/philippines/the-philippine-star/20160816/282187945419851 accessed 1 September 2016
  29. ↑ http://www.rappler.com/business/industries/208-infrastructure/31131-tplex-may-extend-up-to-laoag
  30. ↑ http://www.dpwh.gov.ph/ppp/main2.asp?page=a18
  31. ↑ Agcaoili, Lawrence (2013-10-28). "SMC to open Tarlac portion of P24-B TPLEX". The Philippine Star. Mandaluyong City, Philippines. Retrieved 2013-09-30.
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