The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said the government is weighing a public-private partnership (PPP) to handle the operations and maintenance of the Central Luzon Expressway (CLLEX), even as the expressway remains free for motorists until year-end.

“We will be the ones to maintain it for now, although we are already talking to private sector partners who could maintain and operate it,” Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said in an interview with reporters on Tuesday.

Dizon said government agencies face challenges in running toll roads independently. “It really needs to be a PPP,” he added.

The P10-billion CLLEX Phase 1, funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, has opened its Package 4 segment, boosting connectivity between Tarlac and Cabanatuan.

The new stretch runs from the San Juan Interchange in Aliaga, Nueva Ecija, to the Cabanatuan exit, completing the 29.2-kilometer, four-lane expressway. It is expected to serve 11,500 motorists daily.

According to Dizon, the DPWH is also fast-tracking a feasibility study for the planned extension of CLLEX from its current endpoint to San Jose City to ensure the expressway can meet rising traffic demand.