SLEX-Lucena extension completed by 2022

by Sentinel Times Research Staff August 8, 2021 Lucena City, Mayor Roderick "Dondon" Alcala  in his recent State of the City Addre...

by Sentinel Times Research Staff
August 8, 2021

Lucena City, Mayor Roderick "Dondon" Alcala in his recent State of the City Address. (Photo from PIO Lucena)

LUCENA CITY - Despite delays from right-of-way obstacles and restrictions touched off by the Covid-19 pandemic, the 66.7-kilometer South Luzon Expressway Tollroad-4 (SLEx-TR4) extending from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Lucena City is set for completion by 2022.

Project proponent San Miguel Corp. (SMC) cited in a statement that it was speeding up construction activities at SLEX-TR4, a big ticket undertaking began in 2019 by the food, beverage, and infrastructure conglomerate.



SMC President Ramon S. Ang cited “We are in the initial stages of construction for SLEX-TR4. Despite the limitations of the pandemic and delays in right-of-way acquisitions, we’re moving forward and making good progress."

SLEX-TR4 is bruited about to cut travel time from SLEX-Makati to Lucena City from 3-4 hours to about 45 minutes.



Flushed at the prospects for an early completion of the SMC initiative, Mayor Roderick "Dondon" Alcala in his recent State of the City Address related to local residents that SMC head Ramon had told him in one of their dialogues that the SLEX-TR4 terminus would be a stone's throw from the Lucena New City Hall.

The SLEx spans 36.1 kilometers from Alabang, Muntinlupa to the Sto. Tomas, Batangas terminus with a 66.7-kilometer extension to Lucena City-- a 102.8-kilometer overland route.



Ang cited that right-of-way challenges remain “the biggest factor that will determine how fast the project can be completed.

Considering the length of the TR4, a great number of property owners, tenants, and their families will be affected. With about 45 barangay units from 8 cities/municipalities and three provinces, about 388 hectares of land will be directly affected by the roadbuilding activities.
“As with any project of this size, acquiring all the necessary rights-of-way is the primary challenge. While we anticipated that it will take some time, it also doesn’t mean we don’t do anything,” he explained.

“We are using the same strategy we utilized for our Skyway 3 project—which is to concentrate work on all workable areas—and then adjust as other areas become available,” he noted.

Roadbuilding activities

According to SMC, roadbuilding activities are concentrated on the project’s section B in Alaminos, Laguna, and Section C in Tiaong, Quezon, near the Hacienda Escudero area.

This covers areas such as the Philippine National Railways underpass, Koquinkona bridge, and Maharlika underpass parallel to the Alaminos-Tiaong bypass road.

Pipe-laying for drainage and embankment works to level the road prior to laying of concrete are also ongoing, SMC said.

Another TR4 segment entailed construction of the Tiaong bridge, Tiaong underpass, and Dolores bridge, including drainage and embankment works, according to SMC.

“SLEX-TR4 will form part of our interconnected expressway network in the south, designed not just to ease transport of people and goods, but also to disperse economic growth and growth opportunities so it can reach and benefit our countrymen in our regions," Ang explained.

During its peak of construction, TR4 project employs about 1400 workers while some 700 personnel are expected to be employed during operation, either as regular or contractual employees. The contractors will coordinate with the concerned LGU offices in the dissemination of job openings for the TR4 project.

As of 2013, total cost of LRT-4 was projected at P11.921 billion.