San Miguel Wants to Build Quezon to Bicol, Pasig River Expressways

San Miguel Corp said Tuesday it proposed to build two toll roads to make travel faster during this quarantine period. This will expand the conglomerate's infrastructure portfolio that also includes the country's new international airport in Bulacan.

 These are the 420-kilometer South Luzon Expressway Tollroad 5 or SLEX-TR5 which will bridge Quezon province and the Bicol Region, and the 19.4-kilometer Pasig River Expressway or PAREX which will connect the eastern and western sides of Metro Manila.

The SLEX-TR5 will reduce travel time from Lucena to Matnog to 5.5 hours from 9 hours. The PAREX will cut travel time from Radial Road 10 (R10) in Manila to Circumferential Road 6 (C-6) to 15 minutes.

The PAREX also seeks to decongest EDSA and C-5 by diverting traffic to alternative routes.

San Miguel President and COO Ramon Ang said the SLEX-TR5 would take 4 years to complete, and the PAREX would take 3 years.The projects will also help generate jobs and boost economic recovery, he said.

“Hopefully, we will be able to finalize with government and they will find our proposals favorable to the country,” Ang said in a statement.

Transportation officials are working with the company on the required clearances and construction will begin as soon as all permits are secured, San Miguel said.