2 San Miguel projects get toll road status

Conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) won the Philippine government’s recognition for two proposed expressway projects—including an elevated road from Manila to Rizal province over the Pasig River—that will stretch hundreds of kilometers across Luzon once completed.

Through the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), the Department of Transportation declared the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) Toll Road 5 and Pasig River Expressway (Parex) as toll road projects, a statement on Wednesday showed.

The declaration allows key agencies such as the TRB, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Finance and the National Economic and Development Authority to move forward with discussions on the proposals and eventually finalize their concession agreements.

SLEx Toll Road 5 starts from Barangay Mayao, Lucena City in Quezon, and ends at Matnog, Sorsogon, near the Matnog Ferry Terminal. The other segments of the SLEx Toll Road 5 are Gumaca-Tagkawayan (58.6 km), Tagkawayan-Sipocot (61.4 km), Sipocot-Naga City (39.5 km), Naga City-Polangui (45.9 km), Polangui-Legazpi City (33.6 km), Legazpi City-Sorsogon (57.7 km) and Sorsogon-Matnog (62.3 km).Once finished, the four-lane toll road will run 420 km and will have eight segments and 28 interchanges.

The first segment, spanning 61 km from Lucena to Gumaca, will cost P22.6 billion and will be implemented over a two-year period.

The 19.4-km Parex will connect Manila with Rizal via a six-lane elevated expressway that will run “the entirety of the Pasig River.”

Parex will have the following segments: R-10-Plaza Azul (5.74 km), Plaza Azul-San Juan River via Skyway Stage 3 (2.70 km), San Juan River-C5 Intersection (7.32 km) and C5 Intersection-C6 Intersection (6.30 km).It has an estimated project cost of P95.4 billion and will be implemented over three years.

It will start from the Radial Road 10 in Manila and will end at a connection to the South East Metro Manila Expressway at Circumferential Road 6.

According to the TRB, the project will use a 2.7-km portion of the Skyway Stage 3 from Nagtahan to Plaza Azul.

Both projects were submitted as joint venture (JV) deals between San Miguel Holdings Corp. and state-run Philippine National Construction Corp.

“The TRB has given an instruction to the [technical working group] to discuss the details of the project with the JV that will be the basis of the concession agreements. We are also waiting for the JV to submit certain requirements,” TRB executive director Abraham Sales said in the statement.

Construction of the two projects is being planned to start within the remaining two years of the Duterte administration, he added.

San Miguel Holdings, part of food, beverage and infrastructure giant SMC, operates the SLEx, Metro Manila Skyway, Naia Expressway, STAR Tollway and Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.