SLEX construction finishes by end-2024

San Miguel Corp. (SMC)-SLEX Inc. on Saturday assured that the construction for the upgrade of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) will be finished by the end of the year.

SMC-SLEX Inc. in a statement stressed that construction for the future-proofing of the tollway is on track, including the expansion of its 36.1-km. main carriageway to six lanes on each side, and enhancements to its cashless toll collection system that will allow for barrier-less toll plazas.

Moreover, the 20 bridges along the SLEX carriageway are also currently being expanded to further prevent traffic bottlenecks that result in vehicle buildup and slowdowns.

The statement further said the expansion of the bridges aligns with the new six-by-six lane configuration of the carriageway to accommodate increasing vehicle traffic in SLEX, which serves high-growth provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and Quezon.

“SMC SLEX Inc. understands the importance of SLEX in supporting the growth trajectory of the Calabarzon Region, which accounts for about 20 percent of the country’s GDP. Once the facility upgrades are completed, it will improve the quality of travel of the general motoring public, and result in faster movement of goods and services as well,” the tollway firm said.

The company recalled that in 2022, it implemented the Seamless Southern Tollways project, which reduced the number of stops motorists had to make when traveling along the Skyway System, SLEX and Star Tollway.

The project likewise led to the decommissioning of the Calamba Main Toll Plaza, which used to be the terminus of SLEX, and SLEX Greenfield Toll Plaza, the terminus of Toll Road 3, which connects SLEX to Star Tollway at Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

At the same time, SMC SLEX Inc. said it equipped entry toll plazas along SLEX with automatic license plate readers, which reduces the need for barriers.

“The upgrades are likewise in line with the government’s directive to implement contactless toll collection and barrier-less plazas along expressways,” according to the company statement.