SLEX upgrades on track for completion in Q4 2024

The ongoing upgrades at the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) are on track to be completed by the end of the year, concession holder San Miguel Corp. (SMC)-SLEX Inc. said Saturday.

In a statement, SMC-SLEX said the upgrades are part of its continuing efforts to future-proof the tollway, which serves as the main expressway in Calabarzon.

The company said upgrades include expansion of its 36.1-km. main carriageway to six lanes each side, and enhancements to its cashless toll collection system that will allow for barrier-less toll plazas.

Some 20 bridges along the SLEX carriageway, the SMC-SLEX added, are also currently being expanded to further prevent traffic bottlenecks that result to vehicle buildup and slowdowns.

The expansion of these bridges aligns with the new six-by-six lane configuration of the carriageway to accommodate increasing vehicle traffic in SLEX, which serves high growth provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, and Quezon, according to the tollway operator.

"SMC SLEX Inc. understands the importance of SLEX in supporting the growth trajectory of the Calabarzon Region, which accounts for about 20% of the country's GDP," the company said.

"Once the facility upgrades are completed, it will improve the quality of travel of the general motoring public, and result in faster movement of goods and services as well," it added.

In 2022, the company said it implemented the Seamless Southern Tollways project, which reduced the number of stops motorists had to make when traveling along the Skyway System, SLEX, and Star Tollway.

The project likewise led to the decommissioning of the Calamba Main Toll Plaza, which used to be the terminus of SLEX, and SLEX Greenfield Toll Plaza, the terminus of Toll Road 3, which connects SLEX to Star Tollway at Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

Currently, the toll plazas are pass-through lanes and are scheduled to be demolished in line with the SLEX widening project.

The company added it has also equipped entry toll plazas along SLEX with automatic license plate readers (ALPR), which reduce the need for barriers there.

The upgrades are likewise in line with the government's directive to implement contactless toll collection and barrier-less plazas along expressways, the company said.

Along with RFID tags, ALPR cameras cross-reference the entry and exit of vehicles by reading and recording their license plates for accurate charging of their toll, SMC-SLEX said.

The company is also upgrading its servers to further improve their capacity to handle the growing number of vehicles using the facility. — VDV, GMA Integrated News