PPP under study for CLLEX O&M contract

THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is seeking to tap the private sector for the operations and maintenance (O&M) of the Central Luzon Expressway (CLLEX) project, following the completion of the expressway’s first phase.

“It is (toll) free for the foreseeable future. The government will maintain it, although we are in talks with private sector partners for its maintenance and operations. We really want PPP for this,” Public Works Secretary Vivencio B. Dizon told reporters.

On Tuesday, the DPWH opened contract package 4 of CLLEX, which connects Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEX) with Cabanatuan City.

The opening coincided with the completion of Phase 1 of the CLLEX, a 29.2-kilometer, four-lane expressway.

The DPWH website indicates that Package 4 consists of the 10.3-kilometer Cabanatuan section, which has an estimated cost of P3 billion.

CCLEX phase 1 is divided into five contract packages, and was originally estimated to cost P14.94 billion.

CCLEX makes up part of the lateral (east–west) high-standard highway network of roads within 200 kilometers of Metro Manila. — Ashley Erika O. Jose