New TPLEX Sison-Rosario Section Temporarily Open and Toll-Free for the Holidays

Good news for those planning to head up north this Christmas! Another extension of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) segment has been opened temporarily and toll-free for the holidays.

TPLEX route to Baguio City

Motorists can save up to about 30 minutes of travel time via the new 4-kilometer Sison-Rosario segment that runs parallel to the existing highway, further expanding the expressway. 

Trucks, buses, and other heavy vehicles, however, cannot pass through.

“This will be open temporarily free as a Christmas present of San Miguel. But it’s not yet completely finished,” project leader Mark Dumol said.

The segment will close again in January 2020 to complete the 7-kilometer Pozurribo-Sison section—the final section, which is expected to officially open in the first quarter of the same year. 

Also read: Expats’ Guide to Expressways in the Philippines

It took almost two years for San Miguel Corporation to finish road work due to right-of-way problems.

Travel time from Metro Manila to Baguio is expected to cut down to three hours from the usual four hours once all segments of the TPLEX is completed.

Also read: A Trip to the City of Pines: Baguio Travel Tips

In the future, SMC also has plans to extend the expressway to La Union, particularly in San Fernando and San Juan, with three sections: Rosario to Tubao, Tubao to Naguilian, and Naguilian to San Juan. 

There are also further plans to extend all the way to Laoag, Ilocos Norte, although no further details are available yet.

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Sources: Auto Industriya
Images are screenshots from Google Maps; Featured image grabbed from Mabalacat City News
Written by Dannah Jireh Paloyo