E1 expressway (Philippines)

Expressway 1
Route information
Part of AH26
Maintained by NLEX Corporation and SMC TPLEX Corporation
Major junctions
Major intersections
Location
CountryPhilippines
Highway system
  • Roads in the Philippines

Expressway 1 (E1) forms part of the Philippine expressway network.[1] It runs through western Luzon from Quezon City in the south to Rosario in the north.

Quezon City to Mabalacat

Main article: North Luzon Expressway

The southern section of the E1 forms most of the North Luzon Expressway, a four- to eight-lane limited-access toll expressway that connects Metro Manila to the provinces of the Central Luzon region in the Philippines. It was built in the 1960s and is 84 kilometers (52 mi) long.

The expressway begins in Quezon City at the Balintawak Interchange with EDSA as a continuation of Andres Bonifacio Avenue. It then passes through Caloocan and Valenzuela in Metro Manila and the provinces of Bulacan and Pampanga in Central Luzon. In Bulacan, the expressway branches off as Tabang Spur Road, which terminates at Tabang Interchange, a partial cloverleaf interchange with MacArthur Highway and Cagayan Valley Road in Guiguinto. The main section of NLEX currently ends at Mabalacat and merges with the MacArthur Highway, which continues northward into the rest of Central and Northern Luzon.

Originally controlled by the Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC), operations and maintenance of the NLEX were transferred in 2005 to NLEX Corporation, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (a former subsidiary of the Lopez Group of Companies until 2008). A major upgrade and rehabilitation were completed in February 2005, and the road now resembles a modern French tollway.

It is also a part of the Asian Highway 26 (AH26) from Balintawak to Santa Rita exit, where N1 (Maharlika Highway) continues the AH26 designation.

Mabalacat to Tarlac City

Main article: Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway

The central section of the E1 forms part of the Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway, a 93.77-kilometer (58.27 mi) four-lane expressway built by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), a government-owned and controlled corporation under the Office of the President of the Philippines. The Subic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) is the country's longest expressway at 93.77 kilometers (58.27 mi). Construction of the expressway started on April 5, 2005, while commercial operations started on April 28, 2008, with the opening of the Subic-Clark Segment and Zone A of the portion of the Clark-Tarlac Segment. The opening of Zones B and C of the remaining Clark-Tarlac Segment on July 25, 2008, signaled the full operation of the SCTEX.

Tarlac City to Rosario

Main article: Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway

The northern section of the E1 forms the Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway, an 89.21 kilometers (55.43 mi) four-lane expressway north of Manila, in the Philippines. It connects central to northern Luzon,[2] with its southernmost terminal in Tarlac City, Tarlac and its planned northernmost terminus currently slated to be at Rosario, La Union.[3][4]

The first section, from Tarlac City to Pura, Tarlac, operated on a "soft opening" basis from October 31, 2013, until full operations began in November 2013.[5]

Part of the second segment, which will take motorists up to Ramos, Tarlac, opened on December 23, 2013. The remaining section from Anao, Tarlac to Rosales, Pangasinan, opened on April 16, 2014, and the final section ending in Rosario, La Union was completed in July 2020.[3][4]

Proposals have also been raised to extend the project to Laoag in Ilocos Norte.[2]

References

  1. ^ "2015 DPWH Road Data". Department of Public Works and Highways. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  2. ^ a b Lowe, Aya (2013-06-12). "TPLEx may extend up to Laoag — Cojuangco". Rappler. Ortigas Center, Pasig: Rappler, Inc. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  3. ^ a b Arcangel, Xianne (2013-10-29). "First phase of TPLEX to begin operations Wednesday". GMA News. GMA Network Inc. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  4. ^ a b Rebuyas, Michael (2013-11-02). "17-km stretch of TPLEx now open to motorists". The Philippine Star. Mandaluyong, Philippines. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
  5. ^ Camus, Miguel R. (2013-10-27). "First phase of TPLEx set to open on Oct. 30". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Makati, Metro Manila. Retrieved 5 March 2018.