The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) on Sunday announced completing the assessment of approximately P328 billion worth of expressway projects under San Miguel Corp. (SMC) within the first three months this year, a milestone for the conglomerate’s infrastructure initiatives.
According to TRB executive director Alvin Carullo, the board anticipates completing the assessment on the engineering design and issue the notice to proceed for three major expressway projects: the Northern Access Link Expressway (NALEX), Southern Access Link Expressway (SALEX), and the SLEX TR5 Segment 1.
The SALEX, which costs an estimated P152 billion, is a 40.65-kilometer elevated network that connects key areas in Metro Manila, including the Shoreline Expressway and three Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 (MMSS3) extensions—C3 to R10, Quirino, and Buendia.
Meanwhile, the NALEX project, valued at P148.3 billion, spans two phases. NALEX Phase 1 is a 136.4-kilometer road linking Mega Manila, the New Manila International Airport, and Central Luzon. Phase 2, which will connect Masantol in Pampanga to Tarlac City, will address demand-driven expansion in the region.
The SLEX TR5 Segment 1, worth P28.15 billion, will run from Lucena City to Gumaca in Quezon Province, covering approximately 61 kilometers and featuring four interchanges. It will also include toll plazas and an operation center to support the segment’s functions.
Further solidifying SMC’s growing infrastructure portfolio, SMC Tollways Corp. is at present constructing the 66.74-kilometer SLEX Toll Road 4, which will link Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Lucena City by 2026. This P26.1-billion project aims to reduce travel time from three hours to just 45 minutes.
San Miguel Corp. has also entered into a strategic partnership with Metro Pacific Investments Corp. for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the 87.96-kilometer Cavite-Batangas Expressway and the Nasugbu-Bauan Expressway.
These projects form part of SMC’s extensive network, which includes the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX), the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Skyway System, and the NAIA Expressway (NAIAX). The corporation’s expanding tollway investments reflect its ongoing commitment to enhancing the country’s transportation infrastructure.
