The Department of Public Works and Highways may pursue the construction of the Quezon-to-Bicol expressway separate from San Miguel Corp.’s proposed tollway project.
“We have other options. We can pursue [the project] as GAA [General Appropriations Act] funded project. San Miguel has their own plans for their version of the alignment. It doesn’t necessarily conflict our alignment,” Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said.
“We can do both. It is possible to do both simultaneous, should the need arise. We are looking at involvement as PPP [public private partnership ] or doing some portions from GAA. Nevertheless, it’s a billion-peso but at this point we are flexible. At this point it is ready for execution,” he said.
Villar said the agency already completed the feasibility study on the Quezon-to-Bicol Expressway project, which will start in Pagbilao, Quezon and end at Maharlika Highway in San Fernando, Camarines Sur.
The DPWH said the project would have an indicative length of about 220 kilometers and would be an alternative option of travel between Quezon and the Bicol provinces.
The agency said the project aimed to provide a fast and developed alternative for commuters to use. It will also provide a safe and direct route to the provinces of Bicol Region as the original route traverses through the mountainside and other fragmentary roads.
San Miguel and state-run Philippine National Construction Corp. earlier disclosed plan to build SLEX-TR5 Project, which extends the South Luzon Expressway from Pagbilao in Quezon to Matnog, Sorsogon.
Once completed, the project would cut travel time from Manila to Bicol to four hours from the existing 10 hours.
San Miguel’s project was already approved by the Toll Regulatory Board. South Luzon Tollways Corp. is the concessionaire of SLEX which currently spans 36.1 km from Alabang, Muntinlupa to Sto. Tomas, Batangas. The company plans to extend SLEX from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Lucena City in Quezon.