San Miguel Corp. is on track to start the construction of two big-ticket expressway projects worth P300.69 billion by the fourth quarter of 2024, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) said Monday.
TRB executive director Alvin Carullo said the proponent was finalizing the detailed engineering design of the P152-billion Southern Access Link Expressway (Sales) and the P148.30-billion Northern Access Link Expressway (NALEX).
“Maybe within the year or last quarter of 2024, these projects will start construction,” Carullo said in a text message.
The proposed SALEX is a 40.65-kilometer elevated expressway network comprising of the Shoreline Expressway and three Metro Manila Skyway Stage (MMSS3) extensions including C3-R10 Extension, Quirino Extension and Buendia Extension.
The NALEX, on the other hand, is composed of two phases. NALEX Phase 1 is a proposed 136.4-kilometer road that would provide connectivity between the Metro/Mega Manila, the New Manila International Airport (NMIA) and Central Luzon as an extension and/or linkage of the Metro Manila Skyway-Stage 3 at Balintawak.
NALEX, Phase 2 is a demand-driven expansion from Masantol, Pampanga to Tarlac City.
SMC SLEX Inc., a tollway unit of San Miguel, is building the 66.74-kilometer SLEX Toll Road 4 that would connect Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Lucena City in Quezon province .
The P26.1-billion project is expected to be completed by 2026. TR4 is a part of SLTC’s 30-year concession which will last until 2036.
The toll road will shorten the travel time from Sto. Tomas to Barangay Mayao in Lucena from the usual three hours to 45 minutes.
San Miguel also signed last year a memorandum of agreement with Metro Pacific Investments Corp. to jointly undertake the construction, operation and maintenance of the 87.96-kilometer Cavite-Batangas Expressway and Nasugbu-Bauan Expressway.
SMC’s expressways include the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), the Skyway System and the NAIA Expressway (NAIAX).