Central Luzon Link Expressway
The Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX), also known as the Central Luzon Link Freeway, is a partially operational expressway in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. It will connect the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and the Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEX) to the currently under-construction North Luzon East Expressway in Cabanatuan towards San Jose, Nueva Ecija. It is currently toll-free and exclusively open to Class 1 vehicles but it will be tolled and opened to other classes of vehicles in the future. Route description. CLLEX runs in an east-west direction  from Tarlac City to San Jose, Nueva Ecija. The entire route is built as a four-lane expressway mostly laid out on embankment. Phase 1. From the west, CLLEX begins at a trumpet interchange with the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEX) in Tarlac City. The expressway intersects Santa Rosa–Tarlac Road at a diamond interchange where the expressway passes above grade. The expressway then passes agricultural land, before turning east as it enters La Paz. It crosses La Paz–Victoria Road where an interchange serving entering westbound vehicles and exiting eastbound vehicles, connects  the two. The expressway continues east as it crosses through a viaduct over the Rio Chico River, and crosses the Tarlac–Nueva Ecija boundary before crossing the Talavera River. The expressway then continues east as it enters Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija. It turns northeast as it meets Zaragoza interchange, a trumpet interchange connecting with Zaragoza–Aliaga Road. It makes a reverse curve turning southeast before crossing Guimba–Aliaga Road as it enters Aliaga, where a temporary exit is built as the expressway's current terminus. History. In 2010, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) formulated the creation of an expressway network  under the High Standard Highway Network Development Master Plan, focusing on a growth area within the 200km radium sphere of Metro Manila. The DPWH, under JICA's assistance, completed the feasibility study for the proposed Central Luzon Expressway (CLEX) on the same year. The proposed project was to divided into two (2) phases: Phase 1 with a 30.7 km network beginning from the connection of SCTEX and TPLEX in Balingcanaway, Tarlac City and ends at the Pan-Philippine Highway (Daang Maharlika) in Caalibangbangan, Cabanatuan City; and Phase 2 with 35.7 km network beginning from the Phase 1 terminus in  Cabanatuan City and ends at San Jose town proper. The project was renamed to Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) in 2011 after the preparatory survey and final report plan for Phase 1 was concluded. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) would fund the construction of the 66.4-kilometer CLLEX, while operation and maintenance would be under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) scheme. The construction of the CCLEX Phase 1 project was funded thru the Official Development Assistance (Japan) grant of ¥22,796,000,000 (₱11.87 billion, March 2012 exchange rate) at a signing agreement ceremony by the Department of Foreign Affairs  (DFA) Secretary Alberto F. Romulo and Japan Ambassador Toshinao Urabe. During the President Benigno Aquino III's SONA in 2014, the CLLEX is one of many of the administration's priority projects involving massive infrastructure spending in Central Luzon. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 22, 2017, along with the beginning of construction. The expressway was originally planned to open in December 2020, but was repeatedly delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first of the expressway from Tarlac City to Aliaga was inaugurated by President Rodrigo Duterte on July 15, 2021. The expressway opened to vehicles on the  same day.