LAOAC, Pangasinan — The provincial government here has launched the construction of the Pangasinan Link Expressway following the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday which will boost investment and job opportunities in the province.

Pangasinan Governor Ramon Guico III said that the project will serve as the backbone of the province in terms of ease of travel and accessibility.

“If we are able to construct it, it will open many doors to other towns and cities. There will be growth in investment, jobs created, the ease of travel in and out of the province,” Guico said.

The ceremony was done five months after officials of Pangasinan’s provincial government and San Miguel Holdings Corp. signed the joint venture and tollway concession agreements for the construction of the P34-billion 42.76-km. expressway project phase one.

Funded by SMHC, it will connect the province’s eastern and western parts and Guico said that other major infrastructure projects like the Bolinao airport and upcoming seaport projects are anchored on the construction of the PLEX.

Meantime, San Miguel Corp. president and chief executive officer Ramon Ang said the road construction would bring economic growth along its way, citing as an example the impact of the Tarlac-Pangasinan Expressway on the economy of the towns and cities it passes through.

He added that the value of land in Binalonan, Pangasinan cost about P200 per square meter before the construction of the expressway but has increased to about P2,500 per square meter a couple of years after TPLEX was built.

He said PLEX would also connect to TPLEX and provide access to the planned New Manila International Airport in Bulacan.