Civil works for TPLEX extension to San Juan, La Union to start July 2025

Last June, the Department of Public Works & Highways (DPWH) awarded the Public-Private-Partnership contract to San Miguel Holdings Corporation (SMHC) for the Tarlac Pangasinan La Union Expressway (TPLEX) extension project. With it, the company will be able to extend the expressway from Rosario, La Union to San Juan, La Union complete with five interchanges.

Fast forward to July 2024, the DPWH together with President Ferdinand 'Bong Bong' Marcos Jr. presented the PHP 23.36 billion Public-Private-Partnership contract between the gov't agency and SMHC. With it, the construction of the 59.4-km extension of TPLEX to San Juan, La Union will soon begin.

DPWH Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan and SMHC Chairman and President Ramon S. Ang presented the concession agreement to President Marcos last July 10, 2024. The agreement, which was signed last July 3, 2024, at the DPWH Head Office in Port Area, Manila, will allow SMC TPLEX Extension Infrastructure Corp. (STEIC) and the DPWH to now proceed with the detailed engineering design (DED) parcellary plan, and right-of-way (ROW) acquisition for all the segments.

“With the signed PPP contract, the STEIC and DPWH can now proceed with detailed engineering design (DED), parcellary plan, and right-of-way (ROW) acquisition for all the segments, so that we can commence civil works by July 2025,” said Bonoan.

According to DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan, the TPLEX Extension Project will be divided into three segments, with the first segment aimed for completion before the end of President Marcos’ term in 2028.

Segment 1 will start from the last exit of TPLEX at Rosario and end in Tubao which is an additional 18.5-km four-lane road. Meanwhile, Segment 2 will be a 23.1-km extension from Tubao to Naguilian and Segment 3 will extend from Naguilian to San Juan, La Union, and will measure 17.8-km. In addition, there will be a total of five interchanges; Rosario, Tubao, Naguilian, Bauang, and San Juan.

When completed, the TPLEX Extension will reduce travel time from Rosario to San Juan, La Union from the current 1 hour and 30 minutes to just 40 minutes. With that, those who frequently travel to San Juan and beyond towards Ilocos Sur will soon be able to get to their destinations faster and with less hassle.