SMC’S proposed TPLEx extension to Ilocos Sur now under assessment

PUBLIC WORKS and Highways Secretary Mark A. Villar on Wednesday said his office has already received the complete proposal of San Miguel Corp. (SMC) for the extension of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEx) tollroad to Ilocos Sur.
“They submitted the proposal. We’re in the process of analyzing the effect (if there is a need for changes in the technical aspect,” Mr. Villar said in a press briefing at the Palace.
The DPWH chief said the assessment period should not take too long because the proposal simply involves a continuation of the existing toll road, with the endpoint in Rosario, La Union expected to be completed by next year.
The unsolicited proposal will have to go through a review by the engineers of the Public-Private Partnership Service office of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The TPLEx extension also requires an original proponent certification from the DPWH, and an approval from the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).
It would then be subjected to a Swiss challenge, where other interested firms may submit counterproposals. — Arjay L. Balinbin