Citra, San Miguel may join in Star Tollway upgrade and expansion

MANILA, Philippines–The Citra group announced on Thursday that it will jointly study with partner San Miguel Holdings (SMH) Star Tollway’s proposal to allow them to participate in the upgrading and expansion of its  42-kilometer toll road concession that starts at Santo Tomas and ends near the Batangas Port.

“We were invited by Star and are currently studying to invest in Phase 2 of the Star Tollway, which will widen the existing two lanes to four lanes from  Lipa to Batangas City,”  said Citra president Shadik Wahono.

He added that Citra, together with SMH, will complete the evaluation within 30 to 45 days.

Star has an application with the Toll Regulatory Board to re-pave the existing four lanes between Sto. Tomas and Lipa, and widen the 21-km Lipa-Batangas section. Target groundbreaking is set for mid-2012, and completion will be within 24 months at an estimated project cost of  Php2.5 billion.

“The widening to four lanes will definitely minimize accidents which are prevalent with the current two lanes. Travel within Star Tollway should be much smoother once the project is completed,”  Wahono said.

Aside from the widening project, the three groups (Citra, SMH and Star) would look into investments needed to improve road conditions and make travel safer, especially at night.

“We are currently evaluating the cost of putting additional lay bays; adding  more  lights,  especially at major exit points, and installing more reflectors in-between exits, together with the planned re-paving, widening and upgrading of the existing road network “  he added.

Wahono also said they are considering  investments in state-of-the-art monitoring systems, security cameras, speed guns, and may adopt the soon-to-be upgraded Skyway E-Pass system, order to make travel more seamless in the south.