Traveling to and from Manila to Batangas, Quezon and Bicol is expected to reduce by as much as three (3) hours with the now ongoing P13.1 Billion South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Toll Road 4 (TR4), Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said.
Villar and San Miguel Corporation President Ramon Ang on Tuesday, March 26, 2019, led the groundbreaking ceremony of the toll road project which covers the 66.74-kilometer extension of SLEX from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Lucena City, Quezon Province. The project had at least seven groundbreaking ceremony spanning two administrations. This is the first time that civil construction will immediately commence after the groundbreaking.
“During rush hour, motorists have to endure a long 4-hour drive due to the lengthy and busy Daang Maharlika between Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Lucena City, Quezon. This will only take an hour once TR4 is completed,” said Secretary Villar.
According to Secretary Villar, TR4 will significantly benefit motorists going in and out of southern provinces especially during summer and holiday season.
"In 36 months, I am confident we will be back to inaugurate the finished expressway. Under the leadership of President Duterte and Secretary Villar, the TR4 project has become a reality. Masaya kami na makasama kayong lahat sa araw na ito. With this new toll road comes progress. New businesses will emerge and bring growth to the level of small towns and barangays," Ang noted.
"We estimate that 17,000 vehicles will pass through the toll road every day," he added.
The SLEX TR4 will be implemented by concessionaire South Luzon Tollways Corporation (SLTC) within four (4) years, divided in six (6) packages starting with: 11.32-kilometer Package A from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Makban, Laguna; 12.75-kilometer Package B from Makban to San Pablo, Laguna; 7.5-kilometer Package C from San Pablo to Tiaong, Quezon; 15-kilometer Package D from Tiaong to Candelaria, Quezon; 10.21-kilometer Package E from Candelaria to Tayabas, Quezon and the 9.96-kilometer Package F from Tayabas to Lucena City, Quezon.
When completed, it will be 4-lane toll road which will have a total of seven (7) interchanges in the following areas: Sto. Tomas, Batangas; Makban, and San Pablo City in Laguna; Tiaong, Candelaria, Tayabas, and Lucena City in Quezon Province.
"Moving forward, San Miguel Corporation will continue to invest in modern toll roads and expressways that are at par with our neighbors in Asia. We are proud to support the government’s Build, Build Build program," Ang noted.
Also present in the groundbreaking of the four (4) lane toll road project were DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina E. Cabral; Quezon Governor David “JayJay” Suarez; Quezon Vice Gov Samuel Nantes; Quezon 3rd District Representative Danilo Suarez; Quezon 1st District Representative Anna Katrina M. Enverga; Congressman Mark Enverga; Tiaong, Quezon Mayor Ramon Preza; DPWH Public Private Partnership Service Director Alex Bote; DPWH Legal Service Director Rodil Millado; and District Engineers Salvador Salvana and Rogelio Crespo.