TRAVEL time between Quezon City to Baguio City will be reduced to three hours following the completion of the last segment of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx).
This was stated by Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar during the final inspection of the tollway's final segment in Rosario, La Union.
"Now, travel time from QC (Quezon City) to Baguio has been reduced from six to only three hours," Villar said.
TPLEX is an 89-kilometer expressway north of Metro Manila that connects the Central Luzon region with the Ilocos Region.
The expressway starts at the northern terminus of the Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEx) in Tarlac City and ends at Rosario in La Union.
The first section of the project from Tarlac City to Pura, Tarlac had been operating since October 31, 2013.
Part of the second segment, which will take motorists up to Ramos, Tarlac, opened on December 23, 2013.
The section from Anao, Tarlac up to Rosales, Pangasinan opened in April 2014 while the remaining segment connecting Rosales to Urdaneta opened on December 20 of the same year.
The third segment of the expressway partially opened up to Binalonan in 2016 and Pozorrubio in 2017.
TPLEx is an extension of the North Luzon Expressway and the SCTEx and is part of the Expressway 1 of the Philippine expressway network.
The expressway crosses the three rivers in Pangasinan -- Agno River, Binalonan River and Bued River.