San Miguel Corp.’s (SMC) Northern Access Link Expressway (NALEX) and Southern Luzon Access Expressway (SALEX) projects are set to break ground as the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) targets final design approval and the issuance of a notice to proceed within the month.  

In an interview with reporters, TRB executive director Alvin Carullo said both projects will begin construction as scheduled in the first quarter.  

“For both NALEX and SALEX, this quarter the TRB targets to issue, to approve the final engineering design and issue the notice to proceed. So construction will proceed in the first quarter, simultaneously,” Carullo said.  

He added that the TRB also aims to approve the first segment of the SLEX Toll Road 5 Project.  

NALEX and SALEX are key infrastructure projects by SMC designed to enhance connectivity between Metro Manila and nearby provinces.  

The P148.30-billion NALEX will be built in two phases. Phase 1, a 136.4-kilometer expressway, will link Metro Manila, the New Manila International Airport, and Central Luzon, extending from the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 at Balintawak. 

Phase 2, a demand-driven expansion, will extend from Masantol, Pampanga, to Tarlac City. The project’s Supplemental Toll Operations Agreement was approved in 2022.  

Meanwhile, the P152.39-billion SALEX is a 40.65-kilometer elevated expressway network that includes the Shoreline Expressway and three extensions of the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3: the C3-R10 Extension, Quirino Extension and Buendia Extension.