San Miguel reveals SLEX-TR5 and Pasig River Expressway plans

MANILA: San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has laid out its plan for the construction the 420-kilometer South Luzon Expressway Toll Road 5 (SLEX-TR5) that will connect Quezon province and the Bicol region, and the 19.4-kilometer Pasig River Expressway (PAREX) connecting the eastern and western sides of Metro Manila.

A total of P121.8 billion will be invested in the project and, according to SMC president and COO Ramon S. Ang, much of that investment will go into salaries of the workers and payments to local contractors, materials suppliers, haulers, and the national and local governments.

“As we said before, San Miguel is fully committed to helping our country overcome this crisis. A big part of that is to continue, and not hold back, on new investments. These projects will deliver hundreds of thousands of jobs and put money in the hands of the Filipinos—sustaining and boosting our economic recovery, even as we build for a much better future,” said Ang. 

The SLEX-TR5 is a four-lane expressway that starts at SLEX-TR4 in Brgy. Mayao, Lucena City Quezon, ending at the Matnog Ferry Terminal in Sorsogon. It is a P26.38-billion investment under a build-operate-transfer scheme with a concession period of 30 years and can be completed in 46 months. With its completion, travel time from Lucena to Matnog will be reduced to 5.5 hours from nine hours, and will connect major urban centers in Quezon and Bicol. It also provides a faster road alternative from Metro Manila and speed up the development of new growth centers in the Quezon and Bicol regions and other southern parts of the country.

The Pasig River Expressway is six-lane, elevated expressway traversing the entirety of the Pasig River. It will start from Radial Road 10 (R10) in Manila and end at a connection of the Southeast Metro Manila Expressway (SEMME) at Circumferential Road 6 (C-6). It costs an estimated P95.4 billion and can be completed in 36 months. Once completed, it will reduce travel time from R-10 to C-6 to just 15 minutes and will directly connect the western and eastern cities of Metro Manila. It will also decongest primary corridors of R10, EDSA, and C-5 by providing connectivity among toll roads and freeways and diverting traffic to other alternative routes.

“Hopefully, we will be able to finalize with government and they will find our proposals favorable to the country. In the short to medium term, many of our people need jobs. Among the most affected by the economic impact of COVID-19 are laborers, those who rely on daily wages, and many in the construction industry. SLEX TR5 will take four years to complete, and PAREX, three years. By that time, the pandemic would have been far behind us. Other major infrastructure projects would also be complete. Our Bulacan Airport project would also be complete. So imagine: within five years, the Philippines will be transformed, and be better than ever,” added Ang.

Photo from the South Luzon Tollway Corporation

Also read: SLEX TR5, Pasig River Expressway project to start in 2 years