Marcos greenlights P23 billion TPLEx expansion, Upper Wawa Dam project

The Philippine government on Wednesday gave the green light to a highway expansion project in the provinces of Tarlac, Pangasinan and La Union, which it said would increase connectivity among the agricultural, industrial and tourism sectors in the country’s north .

President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. led the signing of the contract for the P23 billion Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) expansion project.

The 59.4-kilometer, four-lane toll road starts at the last TPLEx exit in Rosario, La Union and ends in San Juan, La Union.

“Besides bringing tourists and economic activities to the northern part of the country more quickly, it will also bring resources and food to the southern parts of Luzon more quickly,” Marcos said in a speech.

“We also expect to forge value-added partnerships between agricultural, industrial and tourism enterprises in the area as it connects vital regional corridors and nodes. This will obviously create a significant number of decent jobs and more opportunities for all,” he added.

The project, which aims to stimulate economic growth along the highway corridor, aims to reduce the travel time from Rosario to San Juan, La Union from an hour and a half to about 40 minutes.

It will provide high-quality road infrastructure between the Ilocos and Cordillera regions, Central Luzon and Metro Manila,” a project document said.

“It will accelerate the development or encourage the establishment of new growth centers in Region I and nearby regions,” it added.

Without the project, the MacArthur Highway is expected to have high-level traffic by 2025.

San Miguel Holdings Corp. is in favor of a public-private partnership project.

The estimated cost of the project does not include financing costs worth P4.16 billion.

The first part of the project (18.5 km), stretching from Rosario to Tubao, La Union, is expected to be completed in 2028.

“I appeal to San Miguel Holdings Corp. to complete the TPLEx Expansion Segment 1 by 2028 and all other sections as planned,” Mr. Marcos said.

The second segment (23.1 km) covers Tubao to Naguilian, La Union and is expected to commence construction in 2027, while the last segment (17.8 km) covers Naguilian to San Juan, La Union and is expected to commence in 2028 .

Also on Wednesday, Mr. Marcos led the seizure ceremony for a dam project in Rizal province that is expected to increase Metro Manila’s water supply by more than 400 million liters per day as part of a broader effort to ensure the climate-vulnerable country’s water security.

The 450-hectare Upper Wawa Dam project – the second phase of the Wawa Bulk Water Supply project – would increase water supply to Metro Manila and nearby areas from 80 million liters per day to 438 million liters per day by the end of 2025, he said in a speech. .

The first phase, the Tayabasan Weir, has been operational since October 2022.

“These 438 to 710 million liters per day translates into supporting the water supply needs of approximately 2.2 to 3.5 million Filipinos in the MWSS (Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System) service area,” Mr. Marcos said.

“The Upper Wawa Dam will be the largest water source to be built in the country in more than 50 years after Angat Dam,” he said. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza