420-kilometer SLEX toll road approved

Traveling south along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) will lead to more destinations faster as the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and other stakeholders approved the SLEX TR5 (South Luzon Expressway Toll Road 5) which is over 400 kilometers long, according to a Malaya news report. The said toll road stretches from Lucena, Quezon province to Matnog, Sorsogon.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Malaya news report. Some parts in boldface…

The Department of Transportation (DOTr), along with other government agencies, has given the green light for the 420-kilometer South Luzon Expressway Toll Road 5 (SLEX TR5) from Lucena, Quezon to Matnog, Sorsogon.

The supplemental toll operations agreement was signed last June 3, almost two years after the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) designated San Miguel Corp.’s proposal as a certified toll road project.

The agreement was signed by the DOTr, TRB, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and San Miguel Holdings Corp. (SMHC), and will be submitted to the Office of the President for approval.

As a toll road project, SLEX TR5 will involve various activities such as a right-of-way acquisition and construction, among others.

According to the TRB and the toll concessionaire, SLEX TR5 will connect Quezon and the provinces in Bicol. It is also expected to provide better and safer access to the tourism destinations, roll-on roll-off ports and fish ports in the provinces as well as address the traffic congestion in Bicol Region.

The TR5 is a four-lane divided toll road that starts from the terminal point of the SLEX TR4 project at Barangay Mayao, Lucena City in Quezon and ends at Matnog in Sorsogon near the Matnog Ferry Terminal.

SLEX TR5 is composed of eight segments which will run parallel to the existing Philippine National Railways, Maharlika Highway and Padre Burgos National Road or Quirino Highway.

The first segment is a 59.6-km. expressway from Lucena to Gumaca in Quezon that is estimated to cost P22.6 billion. Segment 1 is expected to be completed within 24 months, according to the DPWH.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this new development? Once the toll road is completed, do you intend to travel far further south?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/