NALEx and SALEx construction may start this year, TRB says
MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel Corp. will soon complete the final engineering design (FED) for the Northern Access Link Expressway (NALEx) and Southern Access Link Expressway (SALEx) so construction may start as early as this year, according to the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB).
TRB Executive Director Alvin Carullo, in an interview with reporters last week, said the FEDs of the tollway projects are due for submission this month.
By the fourth quarter of this year, the construction of NALEX will be in “full blast,” Carullo said.
SALEx works, meanwhile, are targeted to start early next year, he added.
READ: Four San Miguel toll roads now in design phase
The P148.30-billion NALEx, which has two phases, is the first component of the Greater Capital Region Integrated Expressways Network. Phase 1 will provide connectivity between Metro Manila, the New Manila International Airport, and Central Luzon while phase 2 is an expansion from Pampanga to Tarlac City.
Integrated expressways network
The P152.39 billion SALEx, meanwhile, is the second component of the Greater Capital Region Integrated Expressways Network. It is an elevated expressway comprising of the Shoreline Expressway and Metro Manila Skyway.
As these develop, Carullo said SMC was also working on reviving the previously shelved Pasig River Expressway (PAREx) project.
The TRB is giving the conglomerate led by tycoon Ramon Ang until October this year to submit the project’s FED with new cost projections to factor in inflation.
READ: SMC set to revive controversial PAREx
Construction of the expressway may start next year if all project requirements—including an environmental clearance certificate—are secured before 2024 ends.
The PAREx project is a six-lane expressway passing through the Pasig River from Radial Road 10 in Manila and the proposed South East Metro Manila Expressway at Circumferential Road 6.
Another project in the pipeline is the P28.15-billion South Luzon Expressway Toll Road 5. It is designed to have eight segments passing through Quezon, Camarines Sur, Albay, and Sorsogon.
SMC’s toll road portfolio currently includes the South Luzon Expressway, Skyway Stages 1, 2, and 3, Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, Tarlac Pangasinan La Union Expressway, Naia Expressway, and Alabang South Skyway Extension.
