Historical Background

South Luzon Tollway (SLT), popularly called SLEX, runs between the Skyway System which comprises the
elevated section and the ground level road, and STAR Tollway. Until its reconstruction by the South Luzon
Tollway Corp. (SLTC), it was a 28 km., 4-lane expressway from Alabang Viaduct in Muntinlupa to Brgy. Turbina
in Calamba. It has since been widened to 8 lanes from Alabang Viaduct to Sta. Rosa, and 6 lanes to Brgy.
Turbina, and extended by 8 kms. to Sto. Tomas, Batangas where it now links up with STAR Tollway.

SOUTH LUZON TOLLWAY CORP (SLTC) is a joint venture company of MTD Manila Expressways, Inc. and the
Philippine National Construction Corp (PNCC). By virtue of a Supplemental Toll Operation Agreement (STOA)
entered into with the Philippine government, SLTC, as the Investor, committed to undertake all works required
for the SLEX Project including its total financing without sovereign guarantees, and with the recovery of its
investment being in the form of the collection of toll by the Manila Toll Expressway Systems, Inc. (MATES), its
operation

and

maintenance

(O&M)

company.

Per agreement the project has two (2) phases Phase 1 comprised the road from the Alabang viaduct (Toll
Road 1) up to Calamba, Laguna (Toll Road 2), and from Calamba, Laguna to Sto. Tomas, Batangas (Toll Road
3).

Original

project

cost

for

Phase

is

Php.

8.5

B.

Phase 2 consists of a new roadway from Makiling , Laguna to Lucena, Quezon Province. Engineering works for
phase

have

yet

to

commence.

The SLTC concession period SLTC was granted a 30-year concession period from February 2006 (date of
signing of the STOA and approval thereof by the President of the Republic of the Philippines) to February 2036.
It

includes

the

period

of

construction

which

began

in

June

2006.

The SLTC Operation and Maintenance Under the STOA, MATES, has the mandate to automatically take over
the operation and maintenance of SLT upon expiration of the PNCC franchise in April 2007. PNCC continued to
operate

SLEX

up

to

May

2,

2010.

SLTC assumed operations/toll collection on May 2, 2010 Since its concession began before the project
construction period, SLTC has only 25 years left for investment recovery when its O&M company MATES
assumed

operations

in

May

2,

2010.

Prior toll rate was lowest in the country, current toll rate is in mid-range The basic toll fee collected by SLTC

from May 2010 to Dec. 2010 was Php 0.76 per km. for class 1 vehicles. This was the toll fee for the old,
unrehabilitated SLEX and it was the lowest of the toll rates charged by all other tollways, including those built
by

government

or

by

government

with

supplemental

foreign

funding.

TRB granted SLTC an initial toll rate of Php 3.02 per km for implementation on January 1, 2011. It was
implemented

by

SLTC

on

April

1,

2011.

The SLEX project is totally financed by the Malaysian investor, MTD Capital Bhd. It has no government
guarantee

or

COST

local

SAVINGS

FROM

funding.

SLEX

REHABILITATION

Below are the results of an independent study conducted by Halcrow, Inc. on SLEX. It confirms other studies
made on the resulting benefits to motorists, from significant improvements on road conditions.

OLD/DETERIORATED

Value

of

Vehicle

SLEX:

Time

(VOT)

Operating

Cost

P
(VOC)

162

per
P

hour
9.09

NEW/REHABILITATED

Value

of

(Class
per

1)
km
SLEX

Time

saved

almost

50%

Vehicle Operating cost saved P1.38 per km

South Luzon Expressway,

Philippines
Officially known as Radial Road 3, the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) or South Superhighway (SSH) is
consists of two expressways connecting Metro Manila to the Calabarzon region in the Philippines.
In 2006, a project was started to rehabilitate, expand and maintain the SLEX. The project, which
consisted of a 30 year concession contract, was completed in June 2010 at an investment of P11.8bn.
The project has established the missing link between Manila and the thickly populated southern provinces
of Laguna and Batangas.
Contractors

The project was completed by a Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC) and MTD Capital
joint venture called South Luzon Tollway Corporation (SLTC). Manila Toll Expressways System (MATES)
will be responsible for operating and maintaining the expressway for 30 years.
As part of the project's feasibility study, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) was carried out in
1996 by Louie Berger International Incorporated (LBII) in 1996. LBII was subcontracted by Hopewell
Crown Infrastructure. The EIA was compiled according to the requirements of Philippine Environmental
Impact Assessment Law (PD 1586).

"In 2006, a project was started to rehabilitate, expand and

maintain the SLEX."
The South Luzon project
The project is intended to reduce congestion, improve road safety, cut travel time and fuel usage, and
reduce vehicle maintenance costs. It is also expected that the rehabilitated expressway will encourage
economic activity in the region.
It has been projected that 60% of the country's total trade exports will pass through the newly renovated
expressway.
The project was comprised of three components. The first component was to rehabilitate and broaden the
Alabang viaduct spanning 1.2km. The expressway spanning 27.3km from Alabang suburb to Calamba in
Laguna province was upgraded and widened under the second component of the project. The third and
last component was comprised of extending the road from Calamba to Santo Tomas in Batangas province
by 7.6km.
Before commencement of the construction work, a comprehensive EIA was conducted. The assessment
included geology, pedology and topography of the region, as well as terrestrial ecology. Air and noise
were also surveyed along the proposed roadway sites. Apart from on-site study, secondary information
related to geology of the area was collected from reports and maps provided by the Mines and
Geosciences Bureau (MGB), the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), and
the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA).
The expressway rehabilitation project involved upgrade and expansion of Toll Road 1 (TR-1), Toll Road 2
(TR-2) and Toll Road 3 (TR-3).
Construction
The TR-1 involved the retrofitting and widening of the old Alabang Viaduct. The six-lane viaduct has a
new eight-lane superstructure. It also involved the construction of a new drainage system and installation
of lamp posts.

"Before commencement of the construction work, a

comprehensive EIA was conducted."
Under TR-2, the Alabang, Muntinlupa City-Santa Rosa-Calamba segment has been renewed and
widened.

The old four-lane toll road between Alabang and Santa Rosa has been converted to an eight-lane
roadway, whereas the four-lane section from Santa Rosa to Calamba has been expanded to six-lanes.
This part of the project also included the construction of new bridges, installation of lamp posts, drainage
and flood control systems, and replacement of old tollbooths by new modern tollbooths.
The completion of TR-3 has provided the vital link between SLEX and the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road
(STAR). The project involved the construction of a four-lanes wide and nearly 8km long toll road from
Calamba in Laguna province to Santo Tomas in Batangas province. New lamp posts have been installed
before and after the interchange, and overpass as well as on all ramps and toll plazas. A flyover, three
overpasses and six bridges have also been constructed under this phase of the project.
Traffic management
SLTC Operations Control Center has been constructed to monitor all the sections of TR-3. Monitoring will
be assisted by high-mounted, state-of-the-art cameras installed across the roadway, and exit and entry
points.
TR-3 also has a well-planned traffic management system. The system will provide emergency response,
effective monitoring, road safety and maintenance facilities.

outh Luzon Tollway Corporation

SLTC was incorporated in the Philippines on July 26, 2000 primarily to engage in the rehabilitation,
construction and expansion of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) from the Alabang Viaduct to
Lucena, Quezon, and other allied businesses such as the upgrading, replacing, and enlarging,
repairing improving, modernizing, developing, or otherwise engaging in any work upon the toll roads,
including all approaches, interchanges, overpasses, bridges, toll plazas, sewerage and drainage
system, and related civil works, and for such purpose provide the necessary site survey, traffic
studies and investigations, materials and equipment, and supply, and install a toll collection system
for the toll roads, traffic toll and data management system, weighing sensors, central computers,
CCTV systems and related equipment, without engaging in activities or the operation of a public
utility except contracts for construction of locally-funded government projects.

The SLEX Concession

SLTC is the concessionaire of the SLEX which currently spans 36.1 km from Alabang,
Muntinlupa to Sto. Tomas, Batangas. The SLEX is one of the three major expressways that links
Metro Manila to the key southern provinces of the Philippines, including CALABARZON. To
the north of the SLEX is the Skywaysystem, and to the south is the Southern Tagalog Arterial
Road (STAR).SLEX connects with Skyway System and STAR and is a key logistical backbone
to the southern corridor of Metro Manila.
SLEX is composed of four project toll roads, three of which are currently operational. Under the
concession, each project toll road required rehabilitation and/or construction works of the
different segments of SLEX:
Project Toll Road 1 ("TR 1") : The Alabang Viaduct - 1.2 kms
TR1 involved the rehabilitation and upgrade of the Alabang viaduct which included the widening of theatgrade portion of the roads, retrofitting of the existing structure, and the replacement and expansion of the
elevated portion from 6 to 8 lanes.
An illustration of the three tollways is seen on the map below:

Source: SLTC Company Records

Project Toll Road 2 (TR 2): Expansion from Filinvest Exit to

Calamba, Laguna 27.3 kms
TR2 involved the widening of the SLEX segment between Filinvest exit and Sta. Rosa, Lagunafrom 4 to 8
lanes and segment between Sta. Rosa, Laguna to Calamba, Laguna from 4 to 6 lanes.

Project Toll Road 3 (TR 3): Extension of the SLEX to Sto. Tomas,
Batangas 7.6 kms
TR3 involved the construction of a4-lane roadway from Calamba, Laguna to Sto. Tomas Batangas. The
construction of this section connected Metro Manila, SLEX, and STAR.