SMC to break ground on new toll road Tuesday

March 25, 2019

San Miguel Corp. (SMC), through its South Luzon Tollway Corp. (SLTC) is set to break ground Tuesday on the South Luzon Expressway Toll Road 4 that will significantly reduce travel time to and from the provinces south of Metro Manila.

“Cavite and Laguna were considered no man’s land. Once we finish this tollway, the peace and order situation in Quezon and Bicol will improve. Local tourism will improve. New businesses will emerge. Progress will be brought to the level of the small towns and barangays,” Ramon Ang, SMC president and chief operating officer said in a statement Monday.

The 66.74-kilometer toll road that stretches from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Barangay Mayao in Quezon province will shorten travel time of three hours to just 45 minutes.

This is seen to boost economic activity through faster transport and delivery of goods and services, and cut vehicle volume along the Maharlika Highway, which is one of the main roads leading to the provinces of Laguna, Batangas, Quezon and the Bicol region.

“We believe that the TR4 will further unlock the economic potential and promote tourism in Laguna, Batangas, Quezon and Bicol provinces,” Ang said.

“With the growing population of Metro Manila, more and more people and businesses will move to these provinces due to these areas’ proximity. We will continue to invest in modern toll roads and expressways that are at par with our neighbors in Asia. Under the leadership of President Duterte and Secretary Mark Villar, the TR4 project finally gets underway, and I look forward to inaugurating this project in 36 months,” he added.

The toll road will be divided into six sections: Sto Tomas, Batangas to Makban in Laguna (11.32 km); Makban to San Pablo City (12.75 km); San Pablo to Tiaong in Quezon (7.5 km), Tiaong to Candelaria (15 km); Candelaria to Tayabas (10.21 km) and Tayabas to Lucena (9.96 km).

The project is expected to be completed by 2021.

The expansion is part of SLTC’s 30-year concession or until 2036.

San Miguel’s Star Tollway Corp. also operates the Star Tollway, Skyway and the NAIA Expressway (NAIAX) in the South and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) at northern part of Luzon. DMS