Anything related to this expressway...

how far does it go?? from Nichols to Calamba, how many km is that?

i think it goes around 50kms. i think Calamba was Exit 57.

Some of the best shots we've got were luckily saved! Again, these are not by me...

Aerial Pics:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid78/p1a87876d6a417a42babab3bc55e5441a/fb291307.jpg

http://www.daaaaa.com/kkk/kkk336.jpg

http://www.daaaaa.com/kkk/kkk269.jpg

On the ground:
http://www.daaaaa.com/kkk/kkk369.jpg

Skyway:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid29/p96884664d41e709077b00dd36cc708a7/fd5d913a.jpg

nice pictures! esp. the 2nd,3rd, (although both blurry)and the 5th one.

Originally posted by mhe-ann

nice pictures! esp. the 2nd,3rd, (although both blurry)and the 5th one.

yeah... these pictures really are impressive! Makes the Philippines look so extremely developed. Like 20,000 lanes of highway, freeway, skyway. Hehehe... that was a bit of an exaggeration.

Who took these btw?

These pics are impressive indeed. Gotta love those aerial shots:okay:

btw, the skyway picture was taken by me, using my old analog camera hence the its blur.

wow, can't believe you still have those ryan SLEX photos:guns1:

Originally posted by renell

wow, can't believe you still have those ryan SLEX photos:guns1:

me too, i wonder where Lance found them...:D They are so old.

More info on Manila-Cavite stretch: (source: www.mb.com.ph)

President lauds $117-million Manila-Cavite expressway

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday hailed the $117-million Manila-Cavite Tollway Expressway Project (MCTEP) phase 2 project, saying that it would not only ease horrendous traffic in the area but also trigger an economic boom in the province soon.


The President attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the 11.24 kilometer extension of the MCTEP at the coastal road in Barangay Longos, Bacoor Cavite.

"The project will soon start and provide jobs in construction. This will attract additional investors to the economic zones of Cavite. This is a new chapter in the history of Cavite, CALABARZON, and the Philippines," she said in her brief remarks.

Mrs. Arroyo thanked the US-based International Finance Corp. (IFC) for investing $70 million in the tollway extension project which will be completed within two years.

She recalled that she sought assistance with the IFC office in Washington to provide fundings for the road project during her visit in the United States in 2001.

Accompanied by the transportation and local government officials, Mrs. Arroyo initiated the laying of the time capsule of the Manila-Cavite coastal road extension from Zapote in Las Pinas to Kawit, Cavite.

The tollway extension is a joint project of the Public Estates Authority, the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Transportation and Communications, and the Coastal Road Corporation.

The CRC is the holding company of the United Engineers Malaysia-Mara Philippines Corporation, the operators of the toll expressway project.

Accompanying the President were Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita, concurrent Cabinet Officer for Regional Development (CORD) in Region IV; Presidential Adviser for Overseas Development Assistance and Priority Projects Secretary Marita Jimenez, Presidential Adviser for Key Infrastructure Projects Teodoro Encarnacion, and former Videogram Regulatory Board (VRB) Chairman Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.

Welcoming the President were more than 1,000 residents and officials, led by Senate committee on public works Chairman Sen. Ramon Revilla, former Prime Minister Cesar Virata, Cavite Governor Erineo Maliksi, Vice Governor Juanito Remulla Jr., 1st District Rep. Plaridel Abaya, Bacoor Mayor Jessie Castillo, Bacoor Vice Mayor Edwin Malvar, Public Estates Authority (PEA) Chairman Teodorico Taguinod, Carmona Mayor Roy Loyola, Silang Mayor Ben Madlangsakay, Maragondon Vice Mayor Crisologo Arandia, and Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) Chairman Ric Esguerra.

Also present were former Cavite governors Johnny Remulla and Epimaco Velasco, former senator Vicente Paterno, Cavite Council adviser Ramon Sy, Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) Chairman Jimmy Dumlao, and Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Director Rey Varilla, and Philippina National Police Provincial Director Boysie Rosales. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)

Originally posted by renell

wow, can't believe you still have those ryan SLEX photos:guns1:

Originally posted by GreyX

me too, i wonder where Lance found them... :D They are so old.

I created a thread in the international Transportation forums with a compilation of all the Highways, Freeways, Bridges, Fly-overs, etc pictures we had in our forums... ;)

Originally posted by absent-minded

I created a thread in the international Transportation forums with a compilation of all the Highways, Freeways, Bridges, Fly-overs, etc pictures we had in our forums... ;)

oh, ok..It is a nice thread, no replies so i replied to it:D

sounds nice. 11kms seems damn short, it should be longer.

Why is it called a "south luzon" expressway? Its supposed to run the length of the island towards the south?

It's actually pretty funny nomenclature for the expressways. Kind of shows the Manila-centricness of everything in the Philippines.

The South Luzon Expressway starts from Metro Manila and goes southwards. Unfortunately, it doesn't go all the way south. The expressway only goes for around 50 kms, but the whole of Luzon Island is goes for many hundreds of kms further. To go further south, you have to take local highways.

The North Luzon starts from the other side of Metro Manila and goes north for I believe 80 or so kms? And again, Luzon goes for many hundreds of miles more than that.

But since there aren't too many multi-lane expressways int he Philippines, they can get away with giving it the whole north-luzon/south-luzon thing when really they're talking only about the provinces around Metro Manila.

Will find a map. If not, it shouldn't be too hard to make one.

OOOooooono wonder....I was like seeing it at 50km and I wondered...isnt Luzon island HUGE??? :D

Well, it might pave the way for a future super long highway thou! ;)

Originally posted by GreyX

More info on Manila-Cavite stretch: (source: www.mb.com.ph)

President lauds $117-million Manila-Cavite expressway

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo yesterday hailed the $117-million Manila-Cavite Tollway Expressway Project (MCTEP) phase 2 project, saying that it would not only ease horrendous traffic in the area but also trigger an economic boom in the province soon....



Good news! (for us who always got stocked in the traffic there).:)

can't they connect the NLEX and SLEX and call it like the Luzon Expressway? how far apart are the two...? are they at the Northern and Southern ends of Metro Manila??

Originally posted by absent-minded

can't they connect the NLEX and SLEX and call it like the Luzon Expressway? how far apart are the two...? are they at the Northern and Southern ends of Metro Manila?? I actually assumed they were connected...so they arent?? :?

Originally posted by huaiwei

I actually assumed they were connected...so they arent?? :?

well by a fellow expressway, no. but EDSA does connect both, and i think Circumferential Road 5 does

Originally posted by renell

well by a fellow expressway, no. but EDSA does connect both, and i think Circumferential Road 5 does

oh, I see... that's cool!

i was expecting you to know that;) anyways, the skyway masteplan was to connect NLE and SLE through an overhead highway cutting through Metro Manila.

it would be great to see the skyway project finished. commute from NLE and SLE would be much easier and there should be more developments along the skyway. if only the gov't have the spare money and buld the whole strech once and for all. :)

anyone have a diagram how the skyway connect to NLE and SLE?

thanks

This is taken from the Manila Skyway website:

The Skyway's Stage 1 involved the a 9.3 kilometer elevated road from Bicutan, Parañaque City to the Makati Central Business District (MCBD), and the rehabilitation of the 13.5 kilometer Alabang-to-Magallanes section of the SLE. This has slashed travel time from the snail-paced southern arteries to the MCBD by as much as 50%. The first Phase of Stage 1 (Bicutan to Magallanes elevated section) was opened in Dec. 1998, while the final phase (Pasay Road/Amorsolo On/Off ramps) was opened in Dec. 1999.

Stage 2 takes place in four phases totalling approximately 13.6 kilometers. Phase 1 continues the Skyway from Bicutan to Sucat, with on/off ramps servicing residents outside SLE. Phase 2 will provide easier access to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and surrounding areas, when the Skyway connects with the NAIA via an interchange at Nichols and continues towards MIA Road and Ninoy Aquino Avenue. Phase 3 will connect the Skyway to the C-5 road via an interchange at the existing Food Terminal Inc., and Phase 4 caps the Stage with the continuation of the Skyway from Sucat to Alabang, leading to the Filinvest Corporate City and Zapote Road.

Stage 3, a 16-kilometer elevated artery, cuts through central Metro Manila from Buendia to Balintawak, winding through Quirino Avenue, Sta. Mesa, Araneta Avenue, and A. Bonifacio, completing the Skyway link from Alabang to Balintawak. These are heavily populated areas, teeming with commercial establishments, residences, universities, pedestrians, and commuters, making this stage perhaps the most challenging

Originally posted by absent-minded

can't they connect the NLEX and SLEX and call it like the Luzon Expressway? how far apart are the two...? are they at the Northern and Southern ends of Metro Manila??

Like the others said, the skyway is supposed to continue on further north all the way to Balintawak to connect to NLEX.

Skyway is probably on a long-term halt or completely shelved. the section to Alabang isn't even over..

I doubt its completly shelved. Lets give it a few more years to continue its route. Its been getting quite a few more traffic recently, so lets see. It would be a huge waste not to finish it.

Originally posted by GreyX

I doubt its completly shelved. Lets give it a few more years to continue its route. Its been getting quite a few more traffic recently, so lets see. It would be a huge waste not to finish it.

well there's also the C-5 road. i guess they may need it later on, when there's a demand for it. but right now i think the gov't thinks C-5 would be sufficient for now

Originally posted by renell

well there's also the C-5 road. i guess they may need it later on, when there's a demand for it. but right now i think the gov't thinks C-5 would be sufficient for now

but C-5 doesnt go all the way to NLEX. It stops at Katipunan, and then it becomes a small two lane road. I dunno where it heads off to from there.

Skyway to Balintawak will seriously relieve EDSA from its daily congestion. It will be an alternate major North to South or vice versa route to EDSA, which is getting really clogged up.

tonydv
thnaks for the info!

yeah, it would be great to see this finished! i hope to see the next phases build in the near future.

Originally posted by GreyX

but C-5 doesnt go all the way to NLEX. It stops at Katipunan, and then it becomes a small two lane road. I dunno where it heads off to from there.

Skyway to Balintawak will seriously relieve EDSA from its daily congestion. It will be an alternate major North to South or vice versa route to EDSA, which is getting really clogged up.


recently i just read that the gov't is planning to expand C-5, connecting SLEX and NLEX. like it's name, it will be a semi-ring in MM.

Yeah i know that is the plan...but i dont think it is there right now. I dunno if they are even working on it right now.

VAT exemption for Skyway toll sought
By Des Ferriols
The Philippine Star 03/30/2004

The Philippine National Construction Co. (PNCC) wants the government to exempt its Skyway toll from the value added tax (VAT), warning of adverse public reaction should the toll be subjected to the tax.

PNCC has asked the Department of Finance (DOF) to consider the exemption of Skyway tolls from VAT, arguing that its charter exempts the company from all taxes except income and real property taxes.

Documents revealed that the PNCC was invoking Presidential Decree 1113 issued by the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos which accorded PNCC the exemptions.

PNCC argued in its presentation that since PD 1113 was a special law, it would require another special law to amend its provisions and remove its exemptions. The company argued that the VAT law, being a general law, does not suffice to amend the special law.

PNCC explained that the VAT was not included in the formulation of its tollway fee for the Metro Manila Skyway Project.

The company said the existing tollway fee is based on the formula under the supplemental toll operations agreement between PNCC, the government and the Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corp.

According to PNCC, the application of the VAT on the Skyway toll which is already the most expensive toll fee in the country, would raise a howl among users.

PNCC, however, will be going against the momentum of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) which is under pressure to increase its collections by plugging the loopholes in the VAT implementation.

The company is also under pressure to clear the path for the resumption of the Metro Manila Skyway Project as the Indonesian firm P.T. Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada has renewed talks with its investors and creditors for funding Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the elevated highway system.

PT Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada has begun looking into new strategies that would allow its joint venture company to resume and eventually complete the project.

According to sources, the Indonesian company wants to resume the construction of Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the Skyway System but this would entail a fresh infusion of capital.

PNCC had formed a joint-venture company with PT Citra Lamtoro, known as the Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corp. (CMMTC), which is in charge of the project’s financing, design and construction.

The Skyway facility itself, however, is maintained and operated by PNCC Skyway Corp. (PSC), a subsidiary of the PNCC which formed the company in compliance with a stipulation in the Supplemental Toll Operations Agreement (STOA) signed between the PNCC and P.T. Citra Lamtoro.

-----------------------

Pretty cool...i hope this will be in the near future. :cool:

cool, so skyway is still alive...

stage 2 is bicutan-alabang right? that would be good for the rich folks going from Makati to Alabang.. not mentioning any rich people's names:D

haha...yeah stage 2 is to alabang while stage 3 is Buendia to Balintawak...I'm looking forward to stage 3 the most.

PNCC to tap NDC for tollway rehab

The Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) has sought the assistance of the National Development Co. (NDC) to finance the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) rehabilitation and expansion project, worth P7 billion.

PNCC would need about P6 billion to rehabilitate the Alabang-to-Calamba portion of the expressway and extend it up to the Star Express in Sto. Tomas, Batangas. Another P700m would be allocated for the repair of the Alabang viaduct.

NDC, the investment arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), has expressed willingness to invest about P2.5 billion in the project using the proceeds of its bond issue.

PNCC plans to sell its equity in the company to other potential investors.

man, it's about time they rehabilitated that part of SLEX. it's shameful, considering the money we pay to drive through there.

im also looking forward to SLEX expansion, it's very short in terms of length

good news! glad the gov't is really working on these infrastuctures. these projects would push development in the nearby cities/towns. metro manila is too dense already, need to expand out!

Yeah, the expressway upgrades and the northrail will sure to develop nearby towns and create new MM suburbs. This great the govt is finally getting their act together in constructing/improving infrastracture.

guys one prob on the C-5 highway is this... we all know that at its end in the south, c5 soutbound lane goes to SLEX southbound. there is also an exit from SLEX northbound to c5 highway (right before magallanes interchange). but what about the vehicles coming from makati/magallanes and want to enter C5 northbnd: there is no access/exit on SLEX southbound turning left to c5 northbound. there is also no access/exit on c5 southbound turning right to SLEX northbound (going to makati). Are there plans to build the access ramps?

another thing, will there be an elevated road connecting batangas exit of southbound SLEX to STAR tollway? It seems so cool kasi kung puro interchanges eh like in the US hehe.. Here, we have to get off the tollway to get to another tollway..... darn

C5 should definitely be extended all the to NLEX and down to Coastal Road Tollway. Of course, Skyway stages 2 and 3 is a must... hay, it seems so beautiful if these are done....

and i hope they fix magallanes interchange... fresh layer of asphalt.. and nice road signs. it's so darn confusing!

I hope the put a fresh layer of aspalt in not only the magallanes interchange but the whole EDSA and SLEX (north part going to Paco).

I am not sure if they are planning to build a ramp from SLEX southbound to C5 northbound. Most commuters go through Kalayan avenue in Makati or through Bonifacio Global City to get to C5 from Makati. They could build these access ramps but maybe they still need funds to do so. Also, it is difficult to build a proper interchange in that area due to the close proximity to the NAIA runway. That is why the skyway detours to the side and goes to ground level.

Well we can only dream about more and more highways being built in the Metro now. hopefully they will continue the skyway soon.:)

Welcome to the forums, btw. Hope you have fun here, federal:)

SLEX update: the Naia expressway project has alrdy started its construction last Mar.17. it aims to connect the new terminal 3 to SLEX, c5 & bonifacio global city. so far, the tiny bridge u see near the tollgate connecting to nichols (sales bridge) is now being demolished, so thats a bit of gud news. meanwhile, the rehab of the Alabang to Calamba portion can be expected soon, fund allocation na lang ang problem, but the govt has now able to obtain 2.5B, & 3++B from creditors. total cost of the project is 6-7B pesos. sa skyway naman, i think we stil hav to w8 a little longer coz pncc & citra metro manila suffered huge losses & cant seem to collect enough money to pay 4 its dollar denominated debts. its not surprising though coz they collect excessive toll fees in skyway so nobody wants to use it, sayang naman talaga.......

I've read somewhere that the commuters would be saddled with those toll fees for ~25 years!

sounds like a lot is going on with the SLEX right now...

mysaong03, do you know where the exit to SLEX from NAIA Ex. (vice-versa) will be? is it gonna be at the Nichols interchange? is that why it's being demolished? there's sort of a "map" of the SLEX (NLEX and Skyway avail. too) at the PNCC Website (http://www.pncc.net/pncc/pncc_south.asp) that lists the current interchanges along SLEX. good thing they're finally getting to work on this... closer and closer to NAIA 3 opening. btw, around how long will the NAIA Ex. be? and how does it connect NAIA to BGC? sorry for all the questions, hehehehe.... and last, do you know when NAIA is planned to open? :)

I don't really recall my trips on the SLEX (though I know I've been through it a few times) so I don't know how bad it is, but any improvements would be nice. from the linked site, the Alabang-calamba strip is around 28km long. hope they'll be able to source out funding before they bother shelving the project.

and it sounds like there is a future for Syway after all. hope that Citra group will be able to convince the gov't to approve the 2nd and 3rd stages in the next one or two years.

@GreyX, I'm wishing the entire EDSA is also repaved and asphalted! parts of the road were in bad shape last time I was on it (around last month) although some parts have been redone and new fly-overs are already asphalted. the bumps and potholes are also major problems that slow traffic down on the huge road...

wishing, hoping (and praying, hehe) that all these infra projects are completed. SLEX, NLEX, North/Southrail, C5 widening, NAIA Ex, Skyway and everything else that has to be redone or built up. guess these will also help the FBGC and the future Mega Manila

thanks GreyX

for years i have been searching for people of who have the same interests i have... skyways, NLEX/SLEX, NAIA3, etc. :)

GreyX, you seem so familiar with infrastructure here in the metro. i hope you can help me... or anyone please :)

we know that on C5 Southbound road, there is a fort boni exit which of course leads to BGC compound. my question is... on the left side is a cut flyover/access ramp. Where will it lead to? a) C5 Northbound (crossing the over c5 northboud lanes) or b) C5 Southbound (for vehicles who wish to take c5 southbound going to makati or SLEX or c) a two lane flyover wherein 1 lane for C5 NB and other C5 Southbound?

Currently, if i am situated at Global city, is there an access ramp going to C5 Northbound aside from the unfinished (God forbid it will remain unfinished forever :borg: ) so i can go to quezon city?

thanks guys.

more questions in the coming days....

Thanks, Federal. btw, please reply in the roll call thread. Just to say hi:)

Same for me, i took me many months to find people that were interested in skyscrapers, urban infrastructure, highways, mass transpo, skylines, etc. Until i found these forums back in 2001.

I am quite familiar with the infrastracture in MM, yes. But i cannot provide the latest details and projects because i do not live there.:D I will try my best.

The newly constructed flyover on the left of C5 (if you are southbound) is from Northbound going into BGC. This ramp also includes BGC to C5 northbound. Right on the side of the ramp and C5 is the newly constructed Market Market! mall by Ayala. I hope that answered both your questions.

@ Lance. I am wishing as much as you are, man:) I hope they do aspalt all major roads in the Metro. Our road system is lagging compared to our neighbors, Singapore, KL, BKK and Jakarta.

I posted an article earlier that was pretty optimistic about the continued construction of the skyway. I hope this will come soon. Maybe next year. I'd love to see Phase III completed.

but it's a start that our major toll-paid expressways are asphalted.

btw, the extension of SLEX to Quirino is just horrible. there's potholes everywhere, and you can't run 60km/h without experiencing vomit-inducing headaches for some, and head banging to the car roof for others. and that's a 8 lane-road

Yeah i hate that stretch of SLEX. Its really horrible. We once sped through there at night and it was really bumping ride. It badly needs repairs.

whats funny is that the white lines in the road aren't straight. they go straight for 500m, then move a bit to the left then, then move again. :D like it was an human error. but then again, it's not like most drivers follow the white lines

hahaha, that happens in other roads in the Metro:D

The reason why many cars in MM get wear and tear much faster is because of the state of our roads. The taxis feel like their suspension is totally worn off!:D DPWH really needs to worker harder to insure better roads to lessen damage on vehicles, improve traffic flow and decrease accidents. They should follow MMDA's strong activity.

Project costs and
PNCC officials

THIS is with regard to the article that appeared in the Inquirer titled "PNCC eyes NDC funding for P7B tollway rehab." (Feb. 23, 2004) Allow us to clarify some of the points raised in the article.

The South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) project involves two phases: Phase 1 is composed of the construction of a two-lane toll road that will connect the SLEX from Calamba town in Laguna province to the Star Tollway in Santo Tomas town in Batangas province; and Phase 2 is the repair and rehabilitation of the Alabang Viaduct in the Alabang area of Muntinlupa City. The rehabilitation of the portion from Alabang to Calamba is included in Phase 2, which includes other works.


The total project costs 2.3 billion pesos (1.6 billion pesos, including right-of-way acquisition for the extension project, and 700 million pesos for the Alabang Viaduct) and not seven billion pesos as indicated in the article. The 1.6-billion-peso tollway extension project is being implemented by the Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) by virtue of Presidential Decree 1113 (as amended) and will initially be a two-lane tollway out of the six-lane ultimate design. National Development Co. (NDC) provides project financing through a loan for the road's construction including the right of way for the PNCC.

At present, PNCC holds inter-agency meetings with other agencies like the Department of Public Works and Highways, NDC, the Toll Regulatory Board, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and other concerned agencies to discuss various concerns including the financial, to the technical and, most importantly, the traffic management scheme, particularly for the repair of the Alabang Viaduct.

Secondly, we would also like to assure our motoring public that the Alabang Viaduct is not "in danger of collapsing" as written in the article.

As concluded by the E.S. De Castro and Associates Engineering Firm, the consulting agency hired by PNCC to conduct the structural reinvestigation of the viaduct, in its full executive report submitted to PNCC, said the "Alabang Viaduct can still support the existing light vehicle traffic loading."

According to Esca, "the Alabang Viaduct has definitely weakened but it is in no danger of falling if we continue to prohibit the use of the structure by vehicles weighing 20 tons and above as a precautionary measure.

And lastly, the president and CEO of the PNCC is Rolando L. Macasaet. Luis Sison is the chairman of PNCC Skyway Corp., a fully owned subsidiary of the PNCC and operator of the Skyway System.

We hope that these clarify some of the concerns raised in the article.
--

FELIPE C. ALDAY, vice president and officer-in-charge, Philippine National Construction Corp., EDSA corner Reliance Street, Mandaluyong City


another article to further concrete up the article posted earlier. i want to know more about this Star Tollway. someone from Laguna better inform me with this....:D

something i found..

PROJECTS UNDER DISCUSSION OR CONSIDERATION


These projects were proposed by the private sector. The proponents have backed their proposals with the requisite feasibility studies. Only one, however, have been endorsed by DPWH to the NEDA-ICC


a. Pasig Expressway (PASEX). (Figure 8) This project was proposed by the joint venture of Strategic Alliance Development Corporation (STRADEC), Marubeni Corporation and Kumagai Gumi. This 19 billion pesos (US$ 500 million), 15 km expressway runs west from Makati area and then north to Ortigas Avenue. Although it deviates from either of the DPWH identified alignment for the Radial Roads 4 and 5, it does provide a direct link to residential and commercial areas to the Makati area. NEDA has given the project first-pass approval and final approval is expected by middle of 1999. This would be followed by the a “price challenge”. Construction is planned to start in late 2000 and to be completed in three years.


Circumferential Road 3 (C-3), Southern segment. (Figure 9) This involves the construction of an elevated expressway of the missing section of C-3 from Ayala Avenue up to Araneta Avenue with a total length of 7 km. The total construction cost is 6.7 billion pesos (US$ 178 million).


Circumferential Road 6 (C-6) Tollway. (Figure 10) This tollway is comprised of: i) Metro Manila Tollway (MMT); ii) Laguna de Bay Coastal Road (LBCR); and iii) the southern segment of C-6.


While the joint venture agreement between PNCC and CMMTC for the MMS also covers the MMT, this component is to be pursued as an unsolicited proposal. The total construction cost is estimated at 22.4 billion pesos(US$ 589 million).


The LBCR, estimated to cost 9.5 billion pesos(US$ 251 million), has been proposed by the joint venture of PNCC, CMMTC, John Laing of the U.K., D.M Consunji and Filinvest of the Philippines. The 3.8 billion pesos (US$ 99 million) southern segment of C-6, on the other hand, was proposed by the joint venture of the PEA and Renong Berhad of Malaysia.


The proponents have completed their outline designs and are preparing their investment proposals


PROPOSED PROJECTS


DPWH has identified projects preferably for solicitation of bids in the near future


R-10/C-3 Expressway. (Figure 11) This expressway is to be designed primarily for truck use; at present trucks that serve the port are overloaded, damage the pavement of local streets and block traffic. It is anticipated that truckers will prefer a dedicated highway despite the toll.


Calamba to Tagaytay Expressway. (Figure 12) The potential of developing this project under the BOT scheme is high considering that Calamba is the site of plants and factories of multinational firms while Tagaytay is a major tourist destination and home to various recreational and institutional facilities.


North Luzon Expressway East (NLEE) to Bayombong, Cagayan Valley. (Figure 13) This expressway will be an alternate expressway in northern Luzon. It is conceived as traversing through Quezon City, Caloocan City, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Nueva Viscaya. This is being pursued by DPWH as a solicited project. At present, its technical, financial and economic feasibility for BOT implementation is being assessed under a technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It is expected that the study will be completed by May 1999, after which NEDA-ICC’s approval for BOT implementation will be sought. Other milestone dates will be firmed up after the results of the study.

www.worldbank.org/transport/toll_sem/ vol2/c-doc/06philip.doc

wala ba balak dadagan lanes ng SLEX from alabang southwards? kasi if ever the skyway gets completed, eh d congested pa din going to laguna since the twolane highway na lang....

wala ba balak dadagan lanes ng SLEX from alabang southwards? kasi if ever the skyway gets completed, eh d congested pa din going to laguna since the twolane highway na lang....

there were plans and as of the moment, they still are, just plans... (Hopewell Holdings was interested on it at one time... for the extension to Pagbilao, Quezon and widening of current SLEX segment)

what is soon to be started (or started already) is the connection/extension of SLEX from Calamba to Sto. Tomas segment end of the STAR (Southern Tagalog Arterial Road) Tollway to be undertaken by PNCC

and I can confirm that there is some construction activity already happening at the southern Lipa City segment end of the STAR Tollway going to Batangas City

whens the connection of SLEX and STAR due?

SLEX will be extended from Calamba, soon? cool... Would be really great when it is connected to STAR.:okay:

what is soon to be started (or started already) is the connection/extension of SLEX from Calamba to Sto. Tomas segment end of the STAR (Southern Tagalog Arterial Road) Tollway to be undertaken by PNCC

and I can confirm that there is some construction activity already happening at the southern Lipa City segment end of the STAR Tollway going to Batangas City

wow..good news! :okay:

whens the connection of SLEX and STAR due?
as of presstime they starting putting some construction materials on that area and is just about to start... maybe if gma wins the construction will go all the way...

i don't think SLEX will be extended. but rather it will be connected to future projects rather. it's like connecting Highway 1 to Highway 10...

btw is there any updates about the coastal road extension?

This happened to me.

When I was a kid growing up in the Philippines, I was riding in the backseat of my mom's Mitsubishi Lancer (I think it was a 1976 Lancer). I must have been about 6 or 7 years old at this time so this put the story at around 1981 or 1982.

Anyway, we were traveling on SLEX and we were somewhere between Nichols and Bicutan. I was doing my thing in the back, playing with action figures, when my mom makes a remark about a car that was traveling next to us. I remember a white car. I think it was a Galant, but I'm not too sure. Could've been a Toyota Corona. Anyway, my mom said that the driver's door was ajar, slightly open. And I looked out and took note. Right at that moment, the passenger front door of our car opened slightly. My mom had to reach across the front seat and pull it shut.

Creepy.

That's my story.... I remember it like it was yesterday.

This happened to me.

When I was a kid growing up in the Philippines, I was riding in the backseat of my mom's Mitsubishi Lancer (I think it was a 1976 Lancer). I must have been about 6 or 7 years old at this time so this put the story at around 1981 or 1982.

Anyway, we were traveling on SLEX and we were somewhere between Nichols and Bicutan. I was doing my thing in the back, playing with action figures, when my mom makes a remark about a car that was traveling next to us. I remember a white car. I think it was a Galant, but I'm not too sure. Could've been a Toyota Corona. Anyway, my mom said that the driver's door was ajar, slightly open. And I looked out and took note. Right at that moment, the passenger front door of our car opened slightly. My mom had to reach across the front seat and pull it shut.

Creepy.

That's my story.... I remember it like it was yesterday.

You mean you weren't buckled in? That's dangerous, plus the way the driving is in Manila.

This was 1982. Seatbelts were not standard in cars sold in the Philippines yet! :)

But I think this was no mere mechanical failure in our car's door latches. I think this was paranormal activity.

This was 1982. Seatbelts were not standard in cars sold in the Philippines yet! :)

But I think this was no mere mechanical failure in our car's door latches. I think this was paranormal activity.

You believe in that stuff?

Well, I don't know if I believe in the paranormal. Let's just say that in all aspects of life, I make leeway for things that are illegible to modern thinking.

Although different from your experience, you made me remember some of my spooky moments, mike. hehe.

NDC approves financing for SLEX extension
manila Bulletin

The National Development Co. (NDC) board has approved the funding for the rehabilitation of the South Luzon Expressway 2 and extend it from Calamba, Laguna to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, to pave the way for the integration of the Metro Manila skyway.

Trade and Industry Secretary Cesar Purisima said the project to ground break on the 20th this month.

Connecting the SLEX and STAR road systems is critical to the operation of the Batangas international seaport that was developed on the assumption of a seamless road connection with Metro Manila.

Purisima stressed that by connecting SLEX to STAR exporters from the Calabarzon area is provided with direct access to the Batangas international port instead of going to the congested Metro Manila ports.

"The cost of moving goods from Manila to Taiwan is less than the cost of moving goods from Calabarzon to Manila because traffic limits the turnaround time," Purisima said.

The worsening traffic in the Metro Manila area has made the cost of moving goods very expensive, he pointed out.

Integrated toll roads will redound to higher level of quality of service to users through unified traffic management system, increased savings on vehicle cost and value of time, the NDC said.

The extension of STAR calls for the construction of a 20 kilometer road from Calamba, Laguna to Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

The present STAR is 42-kilometer stretch from Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Lipa City.

Cost of the rehab of SLEX, its extension to STAR and the construction of the Alabang viaduct was earlier placed at P4 billion.

This project was supposedly be done by the STAR Infrastructure Development Corp. (SIDC), a joint venture between the Philippine National Construction Corp. and Citra of Indonesia but was stalled due to lack of funds.

It was not, however, know how NDC is going to raise the funds for the project in the approving the project last May 7, the NDC Board said that the key benefits in the integration of the toll roads include fast, reliable, convenient and economical movement of people and cargoes.

The STAR project is a flagship infrastructure project in Region IV designed to boost the economic potential of the booming Calabarzon area. (BCM)
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sounds good. what's the SLEX 2, btw? where does SLEX 1 end, if there is such a thing. haha... so they're rehabilitating and extending SLEX 2 to connect to STAR. SLEX 1 is the one that's already rehabilitated?

SLEX ends in Calamba, facing Makiling. i dont think itll be actually extended, but connected to STAR.

SLEX rehab, extension faces delay
By Marianne V. Go
The Philippine Star 08/09/2004

The rehabilitation of the Alabang viaduct of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), its connection to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) and its eventual extension from Lipa to Batangas City is again facing a delay following obstacles presented by the Philippine National Construction Co. (PNCC).

The SLEX expansion is being pushed by Trade and Industry Secretary Cesar V. Purisima as part of President Arroyo’s program to improve the country’s infrastructure and decongest Metro Manila.

The SLEX is the primary logistics highway for 60 percent of the country’s exports.

Likewise, most of the country’s exports go through the Port of Manila or the Ninoy Aquino International Airport which are both located in heavily congested Metro Manila.

Purisima is trying to fast-track the extension of the SLEX up to Batangas and is eyeing a three-year gestation period for the project.

However, instead of the PNCC taking the lead in the project, Purisima wants the newly created Philippine Infrastructure Corp. (PIC) to take the lead, bidding out the construction to an independent construction firm.

Unfortunately, PNCC, which holds the franchise to operate and maintain the SLEX, wants to undertake the construction.

PNCC’s participation in the project, unfortunately, might lead to more problems since it has some financial and legal problems stemming from its failed joint venture with Hopewell Crown Infrastructure, Inc. which originally was suppose to undertake the extension project.

Even during the term of former Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel Roxas II, the National Development Co. (NDC) was already designated to take over the remaining construction/extension of the SLEX following the inability of the PNCC to complete the project.

The NDC, an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), had planned to borrow P4 billion to finance the construction-extension of the SLEX.

The construction project may involve either replacing or rehabilitating/reinforcing the 1.125 kilometer shaky Alabang viaduct which started showing cracks in 2002, forcing trucks weighing 20 tons and above to use the ground level access road which passes through the busy Alabang, Muntinlupa, intersection.

Since the SLEX currently ends in Calamba, the eight kilometer portion connecting it to the STAR expressway in Sto. Tomas also has to be completed.

From Lipa, an extension of 28 kilometers would connect SLEX to Batangas City.

To facilitate the SLEX project, Malacañang has already placed the PNCC under the supervision of the DTI.

Purisima met last week with PNCC president Pastor Ramos and asked him to provide a timetable on how soon the project could be completed.

---->as expected hehe

btw is there any updates about the coastal road extension?


A classmate of mine said he passes by coastal everyday and there seems to be activity going on. They are reclaiming the land daw after Coastal meaning the tollway is to be stretched nga. Although, the reclaim thing is just about 150 meters pa lang... hehe

I hope the coastal road connects with the Skyway/SLEX system. Will the NAIA expressway answer this?

Thanks

SLEX rehab, extension faces delay
>>>>>>>>cut>>>>>>>>>>>.
---->as expected hehe
:bash: :sleepy:

I hope that the Coastal Road extension will be finished quickly, traffic at the Coastal Road exit is at its worst at about 5-6 in the evening, the Cavite motorists block those who are going to Alabang/Las Piñas and the build-up starts almost right after the toll plaza. Hopefully the extension would ease traffic going to Cavite, thereby easing traffic to Alabang.

for me, pncc is 1 of the worst performing gocc's. ilang years na ba clang nag susuffer ng huge losses dahil sa corruption! duh! di ako papayag cla ulit magundertake ng slex rehab, never!

A classmate of mine said he passes by coastal everyday and there seems to be activity going on. They are reclaiming the land daw after Coastal meaning the tollway is to be stretched nga. Although, the reclaim thing is just about 150 meters pa lang... hehe

I hope the coastal road connects with the Skyway/SLEX system. Will the NAIA expressway answer this?

Thanks

yeah, i never thought about that. maybe that explains why the NAIA SLEX connection exits at Roxas. thanks. im pretty sure the government has this thought up. it's not just being implemented

philippine government is stubborn. maybe they're waiting for the budget deficit to balanced before spending for infrastructure. Why don't they realize that they could pump prime the economy concentrating on infrastructure.

philippine government is stubborn. maybe they're waiting for the budget deficit to balanced before spending for infrastructure. Why don't they realize that they could pump prime the economy concentrating on infrastructure.

Meanwhile, I hope the Naia expressway has access ramps from the coastal tollway. if not, chaotic na naman. Mga need to U-turn pa para to go to this and that, etc.

GUYS, PICS NAMAN OF NAIA EXPRESSWAY... LATEST! :)

Isnt C-5 supposed to be continued all the way to Coastal from its SLEX connection?? the proposed extention runs beside the primary NAIA runway.

I passed by the Sales interchange u/c lots of times, but i didnt bother taking a picture of it. Sorry. It is progressive anyways.

yes, that's the plan for C5

yeah, supposedly. if you drive by C5 and into SLEX, you might see that there's a chance that may still happen. but straight theres numerous shops and restos. and NAIA too if my memory is right

constructing the rest of the skyway might be actually cheaper than acquisition of right-of-way for all the squatters, shops, and squatters :) along C5 alignment to the south

yeah i agree.:) not to mention faster...look at Northrail still taking so long to acquire a right-of-way.

a question, how long is SLEX right now? and how long will it be when it connects with STAR?

right now SLEX is approximately 42.2 kilometers long, the Magallanes interchange as the starting point and stretches to Calamba City. Once the connection between STAR and SLEX is completed, the entire expressway will be more or less 70-80 kilometers long.

any idea how it will be connected? is it direct connection or do you have to get on public roads to connect to STAR?

btw, where does STAR start and end?? And how long is STAR?

any idea how it will be connected? is it direct connection or do you have to get on public roads to connect to STAR?


currently, it is via a public road after exiting SLEX. The link would be direct connection as planned.

and maps of this? news?

some tidbits of news about the STAR (Southern Tagalog Arterial Road) project:

http://www.ppa.gov.ph/NPAC/minutes/development/june18-2003-pd.htm#june18minits
http://www.dpwh.gov.ph/infrastructure/infrastructure_major.htm

Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), Sto. Tomas-Lipa, Batangas
22.20 kms of Roads
Project cost: PhP 1,037.14 million
Completed as of April 2000
Starts at Sto. Tomas, Batangas and ends at Lipa City, Batangas

reminds me of the European autoroutes that i've traveled before, i don't know why.

SLEX+STAR should be about as long as the NLEX stretch is (Balintawak-Dau)

57+22=79kms

reminds me of the European autoroutes that i've traveled before, i don't know why.

SLEX+STAR should be about as long as the NLEX stretch is (Balintawak-Dau)

57+22=79kms

did you include the lengths of the still-soon-hopefully-to-be-built segments?

Calamba-Sto. Tomas = approx. 7 kms.
Lipa City to Batangas City Pier = approx. 20 kms.

57+7+22+20=106 kms?

i didn't know about the latter. the Lipa to Batangas portion.. thanks for correcting

106kms.. that's long..

my favorite view at SLEX is brentville

6 foreign groups eye stake in Slex rehab
Posted: 4:46 PM | Oct. 10, 2004

Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer News Service

HOPEWELL Crown Infrastructure Inc., the private group tasked to rehabilitate and operate the South Luzon Expressway, said it is in talks with six foreign groups interested in participating in the P10-billion upgrade of the Slex.

Joel Bañares, president of Hopewell Crown, said the company was discussing possible ventures with Egis of France, Leighton of Australia, Cise of Spain, MTD Capital of Malaysia, American firm Transcore and SNC Lavalin of Canada.

Egis and Leighton are also partners of Benpres Corp. in Manila North Tollways Corp. Cise, MTD and Transcore are all tollway operators in their respective countries.

"We are in various stages of negotiation with the foreign groups but all have a high level of interest. The Slex is a very viable project. We want to be able to choose a strategic partner within the year," Bañares said in an interview.

Bañares was finance undersecretary during the Estrada administration in charge of the country's foreign borrowings.

He said Metro Pacific Corp. had approached the group but that the discussion was nothing serious.

"I think Metro Pacific is focusing first on the Skyway project, which also needs attention. The group approached us after much had been written about their interest in the Slex," said the Hopewell Crown official.

First Pacific Co. Ltd, parent firm of Metro Pacific, is keen on rehabilitating Skyway Corp. First Pacific managing head Manuel Pangilinan said the group also wanted to take part in the upgrade and link-up of the South Luzon road all the way to the Batangas port.

Bañares said Hopewell would eventually select one or two from the six foreign groups to become its strategic partner. Hopewell owns 80 percent of South Luzon Tollway Corp., a joint venture with Philippine National Construction Corp.

The group of George Go, through Crown Equities Inc., used to own 90 percent of Hopewell Crown but ceded early this year 60 percent of its stake to Northeast Development Acquisitions Corp. The company is backed by low-key Filipino investors who would rather remain passive, Bañares said.

Hopewell Crown, which is 10-percent owned by Hopewell Holdings Ltd. of Gordon Wu, signed a $480-million deal with the Estrada administration to carry out two phases of the rehabilitation and expansion of the Slex.

The first phase costs about P10 billion, according to Bañares. This covers the rehabilitation of the Alabang viaduct, the widening of the Alabang to Calamba stretch and the link-up of Slex in Calamba to the Star highway in Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

Once construction starts next year, he said the first phase should be completed in three to four years. The group has to secure the right of way for the eight-kilometer link-up of Slex and Star.

The second phase is the extension of Slex from Calamba all the way to Lucena City.

Bañares said 30 percent of the project cost would be financed with equity and the remaining 70 percent by debt.

He said Northeast Development was prepared to spend P1 billion in equity to start the project next year while the tollway company was completing its financial package, which would usually take a year.

Hopewell Crown is also talking with several multilateral groups to help finance the project, Bañares added.

He said South Luzon Tollway would also have to increase fees upon the completion of the project so it could recover the cost of investments and to generate some return.
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wow, $480M... what a big project. I read on another article that the plan was to stretch the SLEX by another 88-km. or extended to a total of 88-km, but I'm not too sure. either way, $480M is still pretty big. that's like NAIA-3! can't wait to see them finally get going with this. as well as Metro Pacific restarting Skyway. btw, isn't Hopewell the same company that had this big elevated highway/skytrain combination in Bangkok that didn't push through?

Where's Lucena City in comparison to the SLEX and STAR expressways? :? will this extension be a branch of SLEX, or a continuation of it?

Where's Lucena City in comparison to the SLEX and STAR expressways? :? will this extension be a branch of SLEX, or a continuation of it?

think of it this way...

from Manila via SLEX, when you reach Sto. Tomas, Batangas, the expressway will fork two ways:

- to the right will be towards Batangas City Port (via STAR)
- to the left towards Lucena City

ah right,so that's what's going to happen :)

Great news!! I think it the project will bring SLEX to a total of 88km (instead of adding 88km more). I'm not sure, but that is my understanding. I love how infrastructure work is getting done all over the country nowadays. With the NLEX rehab and extention, Clark-Subic expressway starting soon, Skyway continuation and now SLEX rehab and extention, you can easily go from south to north (or vice versa) through MM without getting caught with too much traffic.

Yes, Hopewell is the company that was gonna build the Bangkok triple deck expressway. As of now, it is cancelled.

well SLEX so far is around 55 kms. i doubt the extension would be only 30 kms. long, especially it going inter-province

hope this one gets finished, unlike that Bangkok one. im sure they dont want the same thing to happen. gives a bad name to their portfolio

Well Hopewell is pretty reliable...The project they planned in Bangkok was pretty ambitious, plus the economic crisis was the one that killed the project. (it was already u/c, but now it has been stopped)

Well Hopewell is pretty reliable...The project they planned in Bangkok was pretty ambitious, plus the economic crisis was the one that killed the project. (it was already u/c, but now it has been stopped)

were those unfinished columns and pierheads in front of the current bangkok international airport terminal (along the train tracks and right beside the current elevated expressway) part of that cancelled expressway?

update:

okay, I researched/"googled" a bit and found out that the "eyesore" support pillars/columns and pierheads I saw when I last went to bangkok were indeed Hopewell's doing: http://www.thaiworldview.com/travel/travel2.htm (scroll down below)

http://www.thaiworldview.com/travel/jpg/travel29.jpg

though they seem to plan on using 500 of those pillars after all: http://thailand.prd.go.th/the_inside_view.php?id=312

I just hope that wouldn't happen to the SLEX expansion+extension+STAR connection project if ever Hopewell is the one that implements it...

Spanish firms keen in joining team to rehabilitate Luzon road project
By MA. ELOISA I. CALDERON, Reporter
Aside from Hong Kong's First Pacific Co. Ltd., a number of Spanish firms have expressed interest in joining the consortium that will rehabilitate and connect three major highways in Southern Luzon.

Jose Miguel Cortes, Economic and Commercial Counselor of the Embassy of Spain, said most of the Spanish businessmen, who are now in Manila to participate in the trade show "España Exporta," are considering investing in infrastructure projects particularly in the South Luzon Expressway (Slex).

"Some of those 25 companies are interested in forging BOT [build-operate-transfer] contracts. They are actually discussing with the local counterparts. They are looking into investing on Slex and other infrastructure," he told BusinessWorld.

State-run Philippines' National Development Co. (NDC) earlier approved "in principle" a plan to rehabilitate and connect Slex, Skyway, and STAR to cut the travel time from Metro Manila to the Batangas Port.

The integrated highway will have a single toll system, which would be run by a single operating authority.

Finance officials had said NDC would sell bonds to finance the highway project which is said to cost about PhP12.5 billion. The Spanish government, in terms of per capita, is said to be the largest investor in infrastructure worldwide with an average of 8 billion euros every year.

Over the last two years, Spanish firms, Mr. Cortes said, have renewed their interest on build-operate-transfer projects in road, water, and waste management in the country.

Trade relations between the two countries, he added, has been improving as it hit an all time high of $340 million in 2003, making Spain the 29th largest trading partner of the Philippines.

Mr. Cortes said Spanish engineering firms would be holding seminar on innovations in infrastructure as part of the first ever trade show Spain has launched in Asia.

But while Spanish firms had been investing in the Philippine's business sector, the Spanish official said there had been no build-operate-transfer contracts yet forged between the two countries.

----------------

Excellent news imo...I'm glad the skyway project is still alive:)

yeah... I hope that they procede into finishing the Skyway.. connecting NLEX and SLEX would be great....

i see this as a real good move for spain, since were its most isolated colony. most of the big multinational businesses in latin america are based in spain, which is their 'mother country', which means spain did maintain very special ties w/ them even after their independence, pero tayo, pinabayaan na talaga....& hei, i also wonder why only the phils didnt learn speaking spanish, while all its L. A. colonies have their official language spanish, why is that??

/\ The Philippines did have Spanish as the lingua franca during colonial times, but with independence from Madre Espana, our forebearers decided to spread the use of Filipino (based on Tagalog) amongst the masses, as a symbolic departure (or severing of ties) from our colonial overlords. Plus, not all countries in Latin America have Spanish as their official language, they also have included some of their own indigenous or tribal tongues. :)

i see, but despite that, Spanish courses were still offered until the time of Marcos, & how bout the Latin states, why havent they thought of doing the same thing? why only us? i mean, wala lang, parang i wana have to have a feeling more of like a spanish than american kasi, (pls. dont get offended ha, i love my own country, ok) but i love to speak spanish as well, coz its romantic & classy, hehe....

Medyo OT, but there was a thread all about this in Samahan before. I think it's been pruned. Mysaong, all your questions can be answered in three words: The American Occupation. The Americans were very effective in wiping out a lot of the Spanish influences (including the language), and WW2 completed the job. Granted, a lot still remains, but not as much as before. As the final blow, the 1986 constitution removed Spanish from official status. Que lastima!

So you can't really say that "pinabayaan" tayo ng Spain, because for the past 100 years we've more been the responsibility of the U.S. Also, until the mid 1980s, Spain had its own problems, from the civil war up to the repressive regime of Franco. Until the 1980s, Spaniards actually migrated to Latin America to be able to escape from political persecution and for better economic opportunities. Now it's the other way round. Which is one reason why the ties between the countries are so strong, because of the exchange of migrants. It's really only in the past 2 decades that Spain's economy has progressed enough to be able to start helping out other countries.

The Real Academia Espanola still considers The Philippines as a Spanish-speaking nation though, we're still included on all their current maps of the Spanish-speaking world. This is due mostly to the millions of Chavacano speakers, which is counted as Creole Spanish.

To stay on topic, i didnt know that Spain is the world's biggest investor on infrastructure. I would have thought it was Japan or at least Germany. How are Spanish built/managed highways, railways, bridges, flyovers, airports, etc compared to others like the Japanese and Germans?

yeah, spain's economic progress started to take off after hosting the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. and theyre bidding again for the Madrid 2012. spain has a very good network of good roads & expressways, comparable to Germany's autobahn...their Madrid subways are newly renovated, maganda na lahat ngayon....

Spain's infastructure, or infra.. whatever:D is doing pretty good. But i've read that the Brits, and other countries contributed to this. well anyways, their expressways are just like France's, Madrid's metro is almost like London's actually, even in the logo.

Thats cool...so this should just be the start of their investments in the Philippines.

well now it's time for them to extend their hand to help other countries for their own infrastructure :yes:

2 foreign firms wooed to join Slex rehab
Posted: 10:47 PM | Nov. 07, 2004

Elizabeth L. Sanchez
Inquirer News Service

printable version email a story write the editor feedback


HOPEWELL Crown Infrastructure Inc. (HCII) is pursuing talks with two possible foreign partners to get the P10-billion South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) rehabilitation project going.

HCII president Joel Bañares told the Inquirer that the HCII board had agreed to pursue negotiations with MTD Capital of Malaysia and Group Egis of France to invest in the project.



MTD is the second biggest tollway operator in Malaysia while Egis is a leading French tollway operator.

The proposed funding for the project will require an equity infusion of roughly 30 percent or P3 billion from Hopewell and its possible partners. The balance of approximately P7 billion may be funded through debt.

HCII is in the process of securing approval from the Tollway Regulatory Board for a supplemental toll operations agreement for its license to operate the SLEX tollway.

HCII is the joint-venture partner of Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) in South Luzon Tollway Corp., the entity formed to undertake the rehabilitation, upgrading and extension of the SLEX project.

The project involves extending the Alabang viaduct to Sto. Tomas in Batangas. The project is expected to be completed in three to four years.

Bañares also clarified issues over the ownership of HCII. This was after a recent disclosure by Crown Equities Inc. (CEI) saying it had cancelled an agreement to sell its 90-percent stake in HCII to real estate developer Northeast Development and Acquisition Corp. (NDAC).

Bañares said NDAC had been complying with payment terms under a memorandum of agreement inked with CEI last February.

CEI had said it has terminated the agreement to sell its controlling interest in HCII to NDAC after NDAC failed to fulfill the payment terms of the sale under an MOA.

The MOA effectively transfers 90 percent of HCII held by CEI to NDAC. NDAC has been operating for the past 10 years and owns the Celebrity Sports Club in Quezon City.

Looks like everyone wants a piece of SLEX now:D Good, since its a good sign of growing investor confidence. Hopefully there will be interest in completing skyway, too.

haha... good news...! I feel they can get the project started by next year. I read another article about the new GOCC Philippine Infrastructure Corp. (PIC) that they've already materialized with P100B in capital. it's supposed to first fund the Alabang viaduct rehab and SLEX to STAR connection as well as a whole bunch of other infra projects in the country. the guy says they want the SLEX thing to be started by the first quarter of next year...

oh yeah... um... Egis of France is also heavily involved in the NLEX, right...?

The project involves extending the Alabang viaduct to Sto. Tomas in Batangas. The project is expected to be completed in three to four years.

What does this mean ? Will this be similar to an elevated tollway like the Metro Manila Skyway since the Alabang viaduct is elevated ?

Hopefully , with the similar news developments of ( finally ) constructing the Bicutan-Alabang portion of MM Skyway , a redeveloped ( new and better design perhaps ) Alabang viaduct will be in the works too as it will inter-connect the two elevated tollways.

Skyway is only to go up to Alabang. I don't think it goes to Sto. Tomas, if that's what you mean. What i understand is that the Alabang Viaduct, and the extension of SLEX to Sto. Tomas is this project. you can't extend a viaduct into Sto. Tomas:D that would be an elevated tollway

And it wont be feasible to have elevated highway go all the way down there. They should concentrate on getting the skyway to Alabang and through the metro to NLEX first.

i think it's a typo error....

Alabang Viaduct repair moved to early next year
By FELIPE F. SALVOSA II, Reporter

Fearing a monumental traffic jam during the Christmas season, the Arroyo administration has decided to postpone the long-delayed rehabilitation of the Alabang Viaduct until the first quarter of next year, a Cabinet official yesterday said.

"We have decided to put [the project] on hold until the first quarter so as not to mess up the traffic during the [holidays]," Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo L. Neri told the First Philippines-Korea Business Forum.

The repair of the 1.25-kilometer (km) facility is urgent as it would jump-start the expansion of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) which the government plans to connect to Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, Southern Luzon. Under an "integration" plan, the STAR tollway will also be extended 28 km. from Lipa to the Port of Batangas.

Earlier estimates placed the cost of the Alabang Viaduct rehabilitation at PhP400 million to 800 million. A number of companies, led by Japanese investors, have been clamoring for the repair of the vital facility as cracks discovered in 2002 forced trucks 20 tons and above to use the ground level. Currently, 60% of the country's export goods pass through SLEx.

Mr. Neri said the state-run Philippine Infrastructure Corp. (PIC), tasked to undertake the SLEx-STAR integration, would also begin work on the government's infrastructure program in the first quarter.

"The PIC would be used to fund key infrastructure projects particularly road projects," he said.

The government plans to spend at least PhP100 billion a year throughout a seven-year period to improve the country's infrastructure.

This is equivalent to 2% of gross domestic product, Mr. Neri added.

The Cabinet official said the government plans to use the PIC, which will be a subsidiary of the National Development Co. (NDC), as a "catalyst" to encourage private sector participation in infrastructure.

Officials earlier said the NDC, which is under the Trade department, would pour in an initial PhP20 billion in capital partly from of the proceeds of the Economic Recovery through Agricultural Productivity or ERAP bonds sold during the Estrada administration.

Trade Secretary Cesar A.V. Purisima has said the PIC would eventually turn over operations to private companies.

Groundbreaking for the Alabang Viaduct rehab was scheduled as early as July. But the project was hampered by delays in the incorporation of the PIC and some legal issues.

State-run Philippine National Construction Corp. wanted to play a bigger role as it has an existing joint venture agreement with Hopewell Crown Infrastructure, Inc. to rehabilitate SLEx. Hopewell Crown, which is 10% owned by Hopewell Holdings, Ltd. of Hong Kong tycoon Gordon Wu, signed the $480-million deal with the Estrada government in 1999.

A government source said Hopewell Crown has agreed in principle not to file charges once the PIC takes over as long as it is allowed to participate in the project.

Metro Pacific to finish due diligence on Skyway by Dec.
Metro Pacific Corp. said the due diligence on the rehabilitation of the Metro Manila Skyway will be completed by yearend.

The Skyway will be integrated with the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) and the Southern Tagalog Artillary Road, another project Metro Pacific is looking at.

President and Chief Executive Jose Ma. K. Lim said Metro Pacific remains interested in the Skyway rehabilitation despite snags in the talks between Crown Equities, Inc. and Northeast Development and Acquisition Corp. over the sale of a stake in Hopewell Crown Infrastructure, Inc.

Metro Pacific "is still interested in the Skyway Project. We are currently crunching the numbers with regard to the investment and capital structure," Mr. Lim said.

He said the study is expected to be completed by the end of the year, adding the problem between Crown Equities and Northeast has no impact in its business decision.

"It is an internal problem that they need to resolve. We are trying to get feedback from both Crown and Northeast," Mr. Lim said.

Meanwhile, a Hopewell official said the firm is considering a Malaysian tollway developer and a French tollway operator as a prospective partner in Slex.

In a telephone interview with BusinessWorld, Joel Bañares, Hopewell president, said they had narrowed the list of possible strategic partners to two which have shown "seriousness" in putting equity into the PhP10-billion project.

"We have two in the final list -- the MTD Capital of Malaysia and Egis of France. We are considering them for their seriousness in putting in equity into the project," he said. -- Anna Barbara L. Lorenzo and Roulee Jane F. Calayag

--->What do they mean by skyway rehab... was it destroyed? Or do they mean here phases 2 to 4 or the Skyway project...? thanks

I think by "rehab" they mean re-starting the skyway project since it has been on hold since the crisis. Thanks for the news:)

Alabang Viaduct repair moved to early next year
By FELIPE F. SALVOSA II, Reporter

Fearing a monumental traffic jam during the Christmas season, the Arroyo administration has decided to postpone the long-delayed rehabilitation of the Alabang Viaduct until the first quarter of next year, a Cabinet official yesterday said.

"We have decided to put [the project] on hold until the first quarter so as not to mess up the traffic during the [holidays]," Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Romulo L. Neri told the First Philippines-Korea Business Forum.

The repair of the 1.25-kilometer (km) facility is urgent as it would jump-start the expansion of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) which the government plans to connect to Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, Southern Luzon. Under an "integration" plan, the STAR tollway will also be extended 28 km. from Lipa to the Port of Batangas.

Earlier estimates placed the cost of the Alabang Viaduct rehabilitation at PhP400 million to 800 million. A number of companies, led by Japanese investors, have been clamoring for the repair of the vital facility as cracks discovered in 2002 forced trucks 20 tons and above to use the ground level. Currently, 60% of the country's export goods pass through SLEx.

Mr. Neri said the state-run Philippine Infrastructure Corp. (PIC), tasked to undertake the SLEx-STAR integration, would also begin work on the government's infrastructure program in the first quarter.

"The PIC would be used to fund key infrastructure projects particularly road projects," he said.

The government plans to spend at least PhP100 billion a year throughout a seven-year period to improve the country's infrastructure.

This is equivalent to 2% of gross domestic product, Mr. Neri added.

The Cabinet official said the government plans to use the PIC, which will be a subsidiary of the National Development Co. (NDC), as a "catalyst" to encourage private sector participation in infrastructure.

Officials earlier said the NDC, which is under the Trade department, would pour in an initial PhP20 billion in capital partly from of the proceeds of the Economic Recovery through Agricultural Productivity or ERAP bonds sold during the Estrada administration.

Trade Secretary Cesar A.V. Purisima has said the PIC would eventually turn over operations to private companies.

Groundbreaking for the Alabang Viaduct rehab was scheduled as early as July. But the project was hampered by delays in the incorporation of the PIC and some legal issues.

State-run Philippine National Construction Corp. wanted to play a bigger role as it has an existing joint venture agreement with Hopewell Crown Infrastructure, Inc. to rehabilitate SLEx. Hopewell Crown, which is 10% owned by Hopewell Holdings, Ltd. of Hong Kong tycoon Gordon Wu, signed the $480-million deal with the Estrada government in 1999.

A government source said Hopewell Crown has agreed in principle not to file charges once the PIC takes over as long as it is allowed to participate in the project.

double-post :D

Skyway is only to go up to Alabang. I don't think it goes to Sto. Tomas, if that's what you mean. What i understand is that the Alabang Viaduct, and the extension of SLEX to Sto. Tomas is this project. you can't extend a viaduct into Sto. Tomas that would be an elevated tollway


Really if Alabang viaduct is extended all the way to Sto. Tomas , that is what the news item was implying also in this thread , so I just verified it if its true. Its really not that feasible to extend it from Alabang to Sto.Tomas because there its not viable at this point in time since theres no great volume of vehicles that will use it. The completion of the Bicutan-Alabang segment of Skyway is what really needs to be done and so as the rehab of the viaduct the soonest.

Hopewell to pick partner for road project next week

Hopewell Crown Infrastructure, Inc. expects to choose its strategic partner for the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) project by next week.

In a telephone interview with BusinessWorld, Hopewell Crown President Joel Bañares said they need to decide before the the company could tap funds from the International Finance Corp. (IFC), the private sector lending arm of the World Bank.

"The IFC basically sent a letter formalizing its interest to provide funds for the Slex project but before anything, we also have to finalize the selection of the strategic partner for the project which will be soon -- next week or before the month ends," he said.

Said Amlaiky, senior investment officer of the infrastructure department of the IFC, reportedly sent the letter signifying the lending company's interest in the Slex project to MTD Capital's managing director Azmil Khalid.

IFC indicated tentative financial support of $30 million in quasi-equity and a syndicated amount of $100 million.

TOLL DEAL

Hopewell Crown, majority-controlled by Northeast Development and Acquisitions Corp., will next focus on the Supplemental Toll Operations Agreement after it selects a partner.

Mr. Bañares said they will discuss the toll deal with the Toll Regulatory Board.

"The [deal] will cover the obligations and responsibilities of the proponents of the project as well as the total rates and the formula for computing and adjusting such," he added.

Northeast is in talks with MTD Capital of Malaysia and Groupe EGIS of France for a possible partnership for the Slex project, while Hopewell Crown evaluates foreign and local companies that have expressed strong interest to work on the project.

These include SNC-Lavalin of Canada, Leighton of Australia, Getinsa and Cise of Spain, Transcore of the US, BCEOM of France and Renardet of Switzerland. -- Roulee Jane F. Calayag

Really if Alabang viaduct is extended all the way to Sto. Tomas , that is what the news item was implying also in this thread , so I just verified it if its true. Its really not that feasible to extend it from Alabang to Sto.Tomas because there its not viable at this point in time since theres no great volume of vehicles that will use it. The completion of the Bicutan-Alabang segment of Skyway is what really needs to be done and so as the rehab of the viaduct the soonest.

you still confusing me man
a viaduct is a 'n : bridge consisting of a series of arches supported by piers used to carry a road (or railroad) over a valley
Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University '

the skyway is not a viaduct imo. or are you trying to imply that what i said you agree with? :D

OK ... lets just hope for the best that skyway will be built soonest and the propose road infras in SSH will also materialize...OK ?

tanong ko lang.....is star tollway parallel to SLEX or is it on the same line....?

and pano nila balak pag-duktongin to ksi as of now it looks like an industrial park already occupies the lot possible for connecting them....

anyone? any maps?

Malaysian joins P10-B SLEX rehab
Clarissa S. Batino and Elizabeth L. Sanchez | Inquirer News Service | Nov. 30, 2004

HOPEWELL Crown Infrastructure Inc. has tapped MTD Capital Berhad of Malaysia as its strategic partner in the P10-billion rehabilitation and upgrade of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

MTD Capital is the second biggest toll operator in Malaysia handling four tollways there. It also operates a tollway in Sri Lanka. Listed on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, it registered a turnover of $152 million in its fiscal year ended March.

The Malaysian firm will end up controlling Hopewell Crown. It will also buy into Northeast Development and Acquisitions Corp., a low-key Filipino group that bought into Hopewell Crown early this year.

Hopewell Crown president Joel Bañares said MTD Capital would work with Northeast Development to raise the P3-billion equity for the project. The rest would be financed with loans, including a $100-million facility that International Finance Corp. plans to underwrite.

Hopewell Crown owns 80 percent of South Luzon Tollway Corp., a joint venture with Philippine National Construction Corp.

"The Tollway Regulatory Board has found MTD Capital as an acceptable partner of the group and is prepared to work on the Supplemental Tollway Operations Agreement or Stoa immediately," Bañares said in an interview.

He said the consortium had informed Trade and Industry Secretary Cesar Purisima that it needed no financial support from the government.

The Department of Trade and Industry's National Development Co. (NDC) has wanted to put in P3 billion to repair the Alabang viaduct in southern Metro Manila.

Bañares said the group would welcome instead the NDC's participation in the funding of the right-of-way acquisition from Calamba town in Laguna province to Santo Tomas town in Batangas province, which is also part of the P10-billion, first phase of the SLEX project.

MTD Capital was chosen over five other foreign groups that showed interest in the project, Bañares said. He said the Malaysian firm was the most committed to put in equity in the venture.

Other foreign firms, such as SNC Lavalin of Canada, Transcore of the United States, Renardet of Switzerland, BCEOM of France, and the Spanish group of Getinsa/Intecsa-Inarsa/Altair could come in as turnkey contractors.

Another parallel development in the SLEX is the extension of the elevated highway dubbed the Skyway from the Bicutan area in Taguig town to Alabang town.

Metro Pacific Corp., the Philippine holding company of Hong Kong-based conglomerate First Pacific Co. Ltd., is in talks with its Indonesian partner Citra Group to pool together an investment group for a possible participation in the SLEX project, Metro Pacific chairman Manuel Pangilinan said. With INQ7.net
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
good news. I wonder how long it'll take before work begins. I believe they could first start on the rehab while the NDC prepares the right-of-way acquisitions for the SLEX-STAR connection, right...?

hopefully good news regarding the Skyway comes up soon too.

tanong ko lang.....is star tollway parallel to SLEX or is it on the same line....?

and pano nila balak pag-duktongin to ksi as of now it looks like an industrial park already occupies the lot possible for connecting them....

anyone? any maps?

hmm... tough question. i don't think it's parallel, cause i've heard it need a 20-something kilometer connection to SLEX.

as for the route, that i don't know.

@ Malaysian joins P10-B SLEX rehab - Good, very good:okay: Although it would have been better if we got the French or American partners, no offence to malaysians. But still, they are very good.

And great that skyway will soon be continued.

the North Americans and Europeans will be "turnkey" contractors... what is that?? the NLEX was worked on with European partners, right? I remember Egis of France being one of them... Malaysia's tollways look real good too, so hopefully this won't turn out too bad...

Just a reminder that the current built portion of the Skyway was built by a Malaysian firm, Citra.

Just a reminder that the current built portion of the Skyway was built by a Malaysian firm, Citra.

oh... Citra is Malaysian...? I always thought it was Indonesian... haha... okay...

yeah i thought it was Indonesian too.. :?

what would be the difference if SLEX&Skyway had European partners?

yeah i thought it was Indonesian too.. :?

what would be the difference if SLEX&Skyway had European partners?

who knows... maybe it's just because Europeans are precieved to be more advanced and experienced against their Asian counterparts. but I'm sure Asia isn't that far off today... some probably even already at-par or above Europe and America.

oh... Citra is Malaysian...? I always thought it was Indonesian... haha... okay...

Oh maybe I'm wrong.

Just a reminder that the current built portion of the Skyway was built by a Malaysian firm, Citra.

Citra is Indonesian, mike. They built the at-grade and elevated toll ringroad around Jakarta. They also had projects in Malaysia and Thailand.

Yeah, in fact one reason why the Skyway was put on hold was because Citra was greatly affected by the trouble with Sukarno (his family has a stake in Citra) in Indonesia a few years back.

^Yep, however Citra is recovering and they have re-started some of their toll projects here in Jakarta.

who knows... maybe it's just because Europeans are precieved to be more advanced and experienced against their Asian counterparts. but I'm sure Asia isn't that far off today... some probably even already at-par or above Europe and America.

ehmm... i'm pretty sure there's little difference. just because they're European, I highly doubt it will be superior.

update on the SLEX.. to see the original text go to this (http://http://money.inq7.net/topstories/view_topstories.php?yyyy=2004&mon=12&dd=02&file=2) link..

SLEX rehab, extension attract 24 firms
Posted: 1:52 AM | Dec. 02, 2004

Ronnel W. Domingo
Inquirer News Service

TEN construction firms have expressed interest in bidding for the rehabilitation of the Alabang viaduct in Metro Manila and another 14 companies are keen on vying for the project to link the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) with the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), a consultant working with the Department of Trade and Industry told the Inquirer.

Bidding for the viaduct repair is set on Dec. 10 and that for the expressway extension on Dec. 20 or Dec. 27, department consultant Noel Kintanar said.

The contract for the viaduct repair is to be awarded on Jan. 2 and construction work should start in the same month.

Government documents showed that the following companies have expressed interest to bid for the viaduct repair: FF Cruz, Cavite Ideal, EC de Luna Construction Corp., J Pajara Construction Corp., Ciriaco Corp., China State Engineering Corp., William Uy Construction Corp., Dimson Manila, RV Policarpio and Co., and CM Pancho Construction.

FF Cruz, De Luna, Cavide Ideal, William Uy, Policarpio and Dimson Manila are also among the 14 companies interested in bidding for the SLEX-STAR link that stretches from Calamba City in Laguna province to Santo Tomas town in Batangas province, south of Manila.

The viaduct rehabilitation and the SLEX extension will each cost at least P800 million, plus at least P900 million for right-of-way acquisition, Kintanar said.

The total amount for the two projects could reach about P3 billion, depending on the final tender offered, he said.

The government's Philippine Infrastructure Corp. (PIC) has lined up a P10-billion package -- including the two projects -- as its flagship venture in 2005, Kintanar said.

The package will include the P7-billion widening of the SLEX segment from the Alabang viaduct to Calamba in Laguna.

Kintanar said the government's plan was for PIC to build a portfolio of projects worth P100 billion over six years.

Trade and Industry Secretary Cesar Purisima earlier said the government wanted to raise as much as P200 billion for about 10 major infrastructure projects, of which the PIC would be the proponent.

Purisima said there was a need to push for infrastructure projects but it was difficult to get investors to start them. "The establishment of the PIC is meant to jumpstart these projects," he said.

With INQ7.net

Great news! Widening it from Alabang to Calamba is very much needed, as many suburbs and industries are opening up in the south. And a SLEX-STAR connection is also important, glad they will finally work on it. :applause:

PNCC prepares for AlabangViaduct rehab

The Philippine Star 12/12/2004

Tollway operator Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) has started traffic mitigating works preparatory for the rehabilitation of the 30-year-old Alabang Viaduct at the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

PNCC workers have begun the one-lane widening and two-lane rehabilitation from Soldier’s Hill in Alabang, Muntinlupa toward Filinvest, northbound.

The National Development Co. (NDC) has initially released P36 million for the widening and rehabilitation of the 1.3-kilometer northbound stretch of the SLEX approaching the viaduct.

The rehabilitation and widening works are in preparation for the traffic rerouting and management program of the tollway operator when the rehabilitation of the Alabang Viaduct goes full blast in January 2005.

Part of the three-phase rehabilitation, extension and expansion of the SLEX, the P700-million rehabilitation of the Alabang Viaduct will include retrofitting of the substructure and upgrading of the said structure to confirm with the latest code requirements.

The other phases of the project includes the rehabilitation of the 27-kilometer Alabang-Calamba segment and the construction of the 7.8-kilometer extension highway from Calamba to Sto. Tomas in Batangas.

Ten construction firms have expressed interest in bidding for the rehabilitation of the Alabang Viaduct while another 14 companies have shown interest for the construction of the Calamba-Sto. Tomas extension project.

The entire project is a component of the project of President Arroyo for a Mega Manila that aims faster transport of people, products and services to and from Metro Manila and the Southern Tagalog Region.

By virtue of a directive from the President, the PNCC, NDC, and the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) have been encouraged to fast track vital transportation support projects like the SLT Expansion and Extension Project.

PNCC chairman and acting president Pastor Ramos Jr. said the "concerted effort of the government agencies and the local government units for this project, is a manifestation of the important and strengthened role of tollway operators and managers in the development and promotion of the toll road industry in the country."

Negative Note: You gotta pay more for SLEX. as if you haven't been already :D

Positive Note: Smooth cruising and 130km/h riding :yes:

2 firms sign sale pact for upgrade of SLEX
ABS-CBNNews.com | Dec. 17, 2004

By LENIE LECTURA
TODAY Reporter

Malaysia’s second-largest tollway company, MTD Equity Sdn. Bhd. of the MTD Capital Group, and Northeast Acquisitions and Development Corp. (NDAC), the controlling shareholder of Hopewell Crown Infrastructure Inc. (HCII), signed a sale and purchase agreement for the upgrade of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).

Under the agreement, MTD will own up to 67 percent of HCII, while NDAC will be diluted to at least 23 percent. Hopewell Holdings Ltd. of Hong Kong currently owns 10 percent of HCII.

Alfonso Perez, president of NDAC, signed for the local shareholder group, while Dato Dr. Nik Hussain bin Abdul Rahman, group executive chairman of MTD, signed for the Malaysian investors.

The upgrade will cost P10 billion.

Phase 1 of the P10-billion upgrade covers the repair of the Alabang viaduct, the widening of Alabang to Calamba and the link-up of SLEX in Calamba to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (Star) in Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

Phase two includes the extension of SLEX from Calamba all the way to Lucena City.

MTD will pour in P3 billion, while the remaining P7 billion will come from the National Development Co. (NDC) and from other project lenders, such as the International Finance Corp. of the World Bank and other financial institutions, both foreign and local.

Financing of the project will be finalized once the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) approves the Supplementary Toll Operation Agreement (STOA), which defines the commitments of both government and the private firm that would undertake the project in terms of toll rates to ensure its viability.

HCII, meanwhile, expects to sign a memorandum of agreement with NDC that will allow NDC’s participation as preferred shareholder in the South Luzon Tollway Corp. (SLTC), the entity tasked to rehabilitate, upgrade and extend the SLEX.

SLTC is the joint venture corporation of HCII and Philippine National Construction Co. and the project vehicle.

NDC also intends to invest in long-term bonds that will carry a tenor of 15 to 20 years to be issued by SLTC.

HCII has also reiterated its willingness to commence advance works on a portion of the Alabang to Calamba segment even as the STOA is yet to be finalized, as a demonstration of its commitment to the project.

PNCC has yet, however, to endorse the request for the notice to proceed to the TRB.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
things sound good so far. work could start quite soon. since this project's been delayed for a bit now, did they have the plans for construction and everything done already? or is MTD gonna be doing that...?

oh... I read about this accident on the NLEX the other day. this 40-ft container truck rammed into something at the Bocaue toll plaza after loosing it's brakes. how do they fix up damages that are cause by accidents on the expressway...? like where do they get the money for that? do they have like some sort of insurance? or do the people involved in the accident have to pay..?

I guess the government, or whoever maintains NLEX, will have to pay for it. Perhaps should the truck be speeding at the time of the crash, the owner would have to pay fines. But should it be an accident, I guess you can't put the finger on anyone else. Maybe the brakes manufacturer....

oh... haha! okay... but I hope they fix it up since work hasn't been totally wrapped up the NLEX yet anyways. sayang... haha! bagong bago pa naman.. and the NLEX looked awesome too!!

Good news...SLEX's upgrade is making good progress.

Absent - They should have insurance to cover the damage...so no worries.

Yeah, they're also finally upgrading the stretch of Osmena (South Super) from Quirino to Magallanes. That's a really welcome development after years of dodging potholes.

it's just "squaring" procedure.. it would have been better if the said strech was laid with fresh asphalt.... oh well, better than nothing :)

well, should i also say, its a 'disfigured' hi-way, coz the north bound direction only has 3 lanes from magallanes to quirino ave, while the south has 5 lanes!! see!!! & vehicles from all classes(1, 2 & 3) cant help but mix-up w/ one another & the result- all day bottlenecks from 6-10pm!! & it just got worse recently due to that 'squaring' procedure. it took us 45 mins. just to move a kilometer & cross the intersection of osmena/zobel roxas last xmas eve :sleepy:

i think next time everyone has to check first http://www.trapik.com/main.asp to avoid any regrets~~

the concrete blocking of Osmena Hi-way (South Super Highway) is definitely better than nothing (just as federal said) but we who transverse it everyday will really appreciate an asphalt overlay (just like what was planned for EDSA but scrapped nevertheless)

what is generating a significant regular traffic recently is the ongoing preparatory works (center island road widening) northbound of the south luzon expressway approaching the Alabang/Filinvest Interchange (in preparation for the Alabang viaduct repair)

also, that fire that gutted that factory between Sucat and Bicutan the other day generated such a terrible traffic that it was a crawl northbound that reached all the way to Santa Rosa (we were forced to take the Carmona exit and divert to Aguinaldo Highway instead).

click here for source (inq7.net - 01 Jan 2005) (http://money.inq7.net/topstories/view_topstories.php?yyyy=2004&mon=01&dd=01&file=7)

SLEX EXTENSION
PNCC seeks bids for P7-B road project

THE PHILIPPINE National Construction Corp. called last Dec. 28 for tenders for the P7-billion connection of the South Luzon Expressway to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, according to the Department of Trade and Industry.

DTI officials also said that the long-awaited rehabilitation of the Alabang viaduct would start this month.

These two developments showed that improvements in the road systems, through which about 60 percent of the country's merchandise exports pass through, could be realized earlier than planned, the DTI said.

Trade Secretary Cesar V. Purisima had said improvements in SLEX were slated for 2005, while works on the link between SLEX in Calamba, Laguna, and Star in Sto. Tomas, Batangas, had been scheduled within two years.

These projects are part of the P10-billion flagship project of the National Development Corp., which is putting up a P100-billion portfolio of key infrastructure projects seen boosting economic activity all over the country.

Malacañang has cited the Alabang viaduct repair and the SLEX extension as the keys to the relocation of industries and a variety of business located in Metro Manila to the Southern Luzon corridor.

Linking SLEX to Star means a continuous major road system from Metro Manila to Lipa in Batangas, which is also up for extension to the port city of Batangas.

The DTI said advanced widening works near the Alabang viaduct would start this month as part of the traffic management scheme to minimize inconvenience once the full work for the rehabilitation starts.

Work on the viaduct itself would start in February.

The DTI did not give details on who submitted bids for the Star-SLEX contract, but it was reported last month that about 14 contractors were interested.

Also last month, PNCC Chair Pastor R. Ramos Jr. said preliminary work on the widening of SLEX has started even as evaluation of bids for the contract continued.

Ramos said two additional lanes--one for each direction-would eat up part of the center portion of the SLEX, which separates the northbound lanes with the southbound lanes.

Ramos, who is also PNCC's acting president and chief executive, added that a bid committee was now perusing the technical proposals for the P10-billion project which also covers the rehabilitation of the Alabang viaduct.

Asked when the contract was expected to be awarded, Ramos said: "We want this done as soon as possible."

---------------

btw, the still ongoing concrete reblocking at Osmena Highway (formerly South Super Highway) at the stretch between Magallanes & Quirino really improved the driving comfort and experience... just hoping those ultra-heavy trucks passing ther everyday won't reduce these improvements to rubble anytime soon... (their current concrete reblocking technique now involves steel rebars that should strengthen the slab and reduce cracks that result in damage that warranted the reblocking in the first place...)

^ good thing they're doing at least something in Osmena Highway. You couldn't run above 50 and have a smooth trip.

and now it's EDSA and C-5's turn (concrete reblocking)... what I find odd is that work on the concrete reblocking already started even as the invitation to bid for these projects are still currently up for grabs at the DPWH website.... hmmm...

well the websites of any Philippine government agency maybe very very slow to update.

well the websites of any Philippine government agency maybe very very slow to update.

you'll be suprised how well updated DPWH's website nowadays (current bid bulletins for the STAR extension from Lipa City-Batangas City and the Skyway section from Bicutan to Sucat foundations & columns are there, so are the upcoming concrete blocking for EDSA-Caloocan & C-3 Caloocan)... anyway, its good that they're working very well on improving our roads, though the traffic caused by the reblocking in EDSA is horrible!

just like to revive this thread. :D Some pics taken while taking the SLEX.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid158/p18afc059ca89be391bb0bb318930701b/f50f1564.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid158/p6a23bc2f840e3928f2205b2ec5eb9417/f50f621f.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid158/pcb00e3498cff96488ae660c91a17ed7b/f50f6230.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid158/p71de57a7036cba0e9e0862967d99660b/f50f6236.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid158/pcd3198b646369cbe5032698dc663f929/f50f623e.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid158/pfacddc4fa11b2dc06a7a9d11767fb307/f50f622d.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid158/pc679dad3c8a4e5600b34d6c1d2965fac/f50f6267.jpg

Cool...thanks for the pics:)

Isnt it dangerous to take this picture while driving?:D
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid158/p71de57a7036cba0e9e0862967d99660b/f50f6236.jpg

:lol: no, I'm not the one driving the car, it's the brother of my workmate. We just placed the camera in front of his chest so that we can have a better focus/view of the road. :)

NDC taps Spanish group for SLEX rehab

The National Development Company (NDC) has announced that it has tapped the Management and Engineering Spanish Consortium (MESCO) as technical consultants for the P1.96-billion upgrading and rehabilitation of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Alabang viaduct or toll road 1.

NDC, the investment arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), said in a statement that it recently signed the contract tapping MESCO for technical advice on the project.

Arthur N. Aguilar, NDC general-manager, said funding for the technical service contract will come from the $5-million feasibility study grant line provided by the Spanish government.

NDC, however, did not say how much of the $5 million will be allocated for the contract.

Under the contract, MESCO will advice NDC on the soundness of the design and construction technologies for the rehabilitation of the Alabang viaduct.

The repair and upgrading of the Alabang viaduct is one of the priority projects of the Arroyo administration as indicated in its 2005-2010 Medium-Term Public Investment Program (MTPIP).

The government is seeking to implement this project within the year. This is considered as one of the infrastructure projects which is expected to boost the country’s gross domestic product. -- Jennifer A. Ng

thats good, i believe this is the one of the fruits of spanish trade roadshow held here last year, theyre really interested to invest in infras projects & this one is a good headstart :)

Hopewell needs P10B
To retain tollway extension, Alabang viaduct deals

The government is giving Hong Kong’s Hopewell Crown Infrastructure, Inc. until May 20 to prove that it can finance the long-delayed repair and extension of the South Luzon Expressway, otherwise it will invite new investors to fund the project.

Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) Chairman Arthur Aguilar told BusinessWorld that the government, through the National Development Co., was giving Hopewell Crown two more weeks to raise P10 billion for the project.

Otherwise, its joint venture agreement with the government will be rescinded. The May 20 deadline was recommended by Government Corporate Counsel Agnes Devanadera.

PNCC, which was placed under the Trade department’s jurisdiction last year, announced previously it was terminating its 1999 joint venture deal with Hopewell Crown.

Hopewell Crown President Joel Banares could not be reached for comment. Although he had said previously that the government lacked legal basis to rescind his company’s contract.

He had also said that his company had already tapped MTD Capital, a unit of one of the largest toll operators in Malaysia, for P3 billion in financing.

"We were told that we must follow the correct procedure for contract termination, otherwise, the government runs the risk of having to face arbitration proceedings," Mr. Aguilar told BusinessWorld.

Last Friday, PNCC and other government officials also met with officials of the Muntinlupa City government and Filinvest Corp., and representatives of businesses and residents who would be affected by the traffic rerouting that would result from the closure of the Alabang viaduct for repairs.

Once the P770-million Alabang Viaduct project starts, South Luzon Expressway traffic will be rerouted to Filinvest in Alabang. Travel time may be delayed by one hour, Mr. Aguilar said.

The repair of the 1.125-kilo-meter Alabang Viaduct and the construction of a 7.8-kilometer road to link the South Luzon Expressway to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road tollway in Sto. Tomas, Batangas are among the components of Hopewell’s project.

The tollway project should have started in April 2000, but was later moved to January 2005. It has been reset again to either August or September this year "at the latest," Mr. Aguilar said.

And when asked whether the government has picked an alternative investor, he said this would have to wait until after the government has officially severed its ties with Hopewell Crown. A number of foreign investors have already expressed interest in the tollway project, among them Malaysian and Spanish contractors. The International Finance Corp., the World Bank’s private sector lending arm, is also open to funding it.

The 1999 tollway joint venture is 80% Hopewell Crown amd 20% PNCC, which holds the franchise to the South Luzon Expressway. Hopewell is a 90%-10% joint venture of Crown Equities Inc. and Hong Kong-based Hopewell Holdings, Ltd. of tycoon Gordon Wu.

Trade Secretary Juan B. Santos had said the government would take over the tollway project, which has been included in the 2005 budget.

The government is also studying the possibility of putting it under the supervision of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

under DPWH?! naku hwag na po pls. lang!!

Question: can u give tangible factors why it takes so hard for BOT or BLT laws to be effected here?! prang i just noticed nadedehado lang lalo ang govierno sa kaka-barat nila sa bidding nila eh!!

First Pacific to pursue takeover of Skyway project
Posted: 9:24 PM | May 29, 2005

Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer News Service

printable version email a story write the editor feedback




Published on Page B5 of the May 30, 2005 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

HONG Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd wants to take control of the Skyway project here in line with the group's continuing interest to expand into the Philippines' infrastructure business, its top official said.



"We are talking with the Indonesians to gain control [of the Skyway project]. They [Indonesians] are amenable," First Pacific managing director Manuel V. Pangilinan said in an interview.

Pangilinan, more popular here as the chair of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., said his company would like to take off from the Skyway project to develop contiguous roads leading to South Luzon provinces.

He said the amount involved would be huge. Last year, Pangilinan said the First Pacific group was willing to invest P5 billion for such a venture.

The Skyway is a 9.3-kilometer elevated highway running from Magallanes to Bicutan.

The First Pacific chief, however, cautioned that things were not as smooth as they should be over at Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corp. (CMMTC), a joint venture of Indonesian firm P.T. Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada and the state-owned Philippine National Construction Corp.

First Pacific's local subsidiary Metro Pacific Corp. owns 10 percent of CMMTC through Metro Strategic Infrastructure Holdings Inc.

Pangilinan said the South Luzon highway project would entail three major capital expenditure items. He said P10 billion would be needed to connect the major arterial highways from Alabang to Calamba and Calamba to Sta. Rosa.

Another P2.5 billion would have to be spent to connect Lipa to the Batangas port, and another investment would be needed to upgrade the existing Skyway.

A Malaysian group that bought a controlling stake in Hopewell Crown Infrastructure Corp. said it would pursue the P10-billion upgrade of the 30-kilometer South Luzon Expressway or SLEX, subject to the approval of PNCC.

Pangilinan said the rehabilitation of the SLEX and its integration with the contiguous road development like the Skyway and the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road or STAR was included in the Macapagal administration's priority infrastructure program.

First Pacific, a company that Pangilinan founded in the early 80s using the capital of Indonesia's Salim clan, had been looking to expand in the region through telecom or food.

NDC to invest in P10-B SLEX upgrade
Posted: 2:19 AM | Jun. 14, 2005
Inquirer News Service

NATIONAL Development Co. (NDC), the investment arm of the Department of Trade and Industry, plan to infuse equity into the P10-billion upgrade of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) to fast track the development of the Luzon economic corridor, Trade and Industry Secretary Juan Santos said.

The plan is to strengthen the road network between Northern and Southern Luzon with several components: a highway linking the Subic Bay Freeport Zone northwest of Manila, the Clark Special Economic Zone north of Manila, and an industrial hub in the northern province of Tarlac road; upgrading of the airport in the province of Pampanga north of Manila; development of an airport in the province of Batangas south of Manila; and enhancement of the international port in Batangas City.

Santos said Malaysia's MTD Capital could be a likely partner in the SLEX upgrade.
The Malaysian firm acquired last month a 67-percent stake in Hopewell Crown Infrastructure Corp., the group originally tasked to do the SLEX rehabilitation.

Santos said NDC was finalizing plans on the SLEX upgrade together with Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC), operator of the SLEX.

Santos said NDC and PNCC, which are both headed by Arthur Aguilar, would have to do the project with a private partner.

NDC will soon issue bonds to raise funds for its investment in SLEX.

Santos said the goal was to complete at least two of the major components of the SLEX upgrade -- rehabilitation of the Alabang viaduct and the connection of SLEX to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road -- by 2006.

"The Malaysian group is one of the promising potential partners. But we are still finalizing the terms with PNCC," he said.

Hopewell Crown president Joel Bañares said that according to initial discussions, NDC would invest about P2 billion in the project.

He said the state investment arm was to put money in South Luzon Tollway Corp., a 80-20 joint venture between Hopewell Crown and PNCC that company will operate the SLEX tollways.

Initially, the NDC will provide the money needed for acquiring rights-of-way, which would cost between P600 million and P800 million, Bañares said.

Santos said about P1 billion would be needed to repair the Alabang viaduct.

"We have to connect SLEX to Lipa [city in Batangs] and all the way to the Batangas port," Santos said. "At the same time, we want to complete the Subic-Clark-Tarlac road as well as other infrastructure projects in Central and North Luzon."

Santos said the San Fernando Airport in Pampanga will support the growth of Clark airport. The two should help boost trade and tourism in North Luzon.

In Lipa, the government could develop the Fernando military air base and use half for commercial purposes and keep half for military purposes, he said.

"We can develop the Lipa air base into something similar to Mactan airport," he said, referring to the international airport near the central Philippines city of Cebu. With INQ7.net

Well, I've been hearing about those expressway projects for loooooong time. I hope they get to it soon!

But that Lipa airport plan sounds exciting!!! Anybody have more news on that? But I guess that should be in a different thread, huh?

South expressway upgrade may start next month
Posted: 5:50 AM | Jul. 06, 2005


Inquirer News Service


Get INQ7 business breaking news on your Smart mobile phone in the Philippines. Send EXTRA BUSINESS to 386.

Malaysia's MTD Capital said it was ready to start the upgrade of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) next month and was just waiting for the blessings of SLEX operator Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) to push through with it.

The cost is now estimated at P11 billion, up 10 percent from the original project cost, said Mark Dumol, officer-in-charge of MTD Manila Expressway Corp.



Dumol said MTD Capital, Malaysia's second biggest toll operator, was prepared to start civil work on the SLEX on Aug. 15.

The upgrade will widen the Alabang-Santa Rosa segment of the SLEX to eight lanes, the Santa Rosa-Calamba to six lanes and the Calamba-Santo Tomas to four lanes.

"We are just waiting for the PNCC's final word," Dumol said in an interview.

PNCC president Arthur Aguilar said the state-controlled company would decide this week on whether to accept MTD as its joint venture partner in the SLEX project.

"Our preference is for the private sector to handle infrastructure projects and for the government to participate only to jumpstart it," Aguilar said.

MTD Manila Expressway Corp. is the new name of Hopewell Crown Infrastructure Inc., a consortium in which Hopewell Crown is no longer a part. Control of Hopewell Crown has changed hands three times since the original owner, Hong Kong's Hopewell Holdings Ltd. of tycoon Gordon Wu, signed an agreement in 1999 to rehabilitate and operate the SLEX. Clarissa S. Batino, with INQ7.net

may nakita nga akong ad last week nun nagdaan kami. good news yan. di na magiging mahirap lalo na kapag rainy season. :)

Hmmm... Calamba-Santo Tomas, is that the road that will connect SLEX to STAR? Doesn't the current SLEX end at Calamba?

Good news. very good news. :yes:

Hmmm... Calamba-Santo Tomas, is that the road that will connect SLEX to STAR? Doesn't the current SLEX end at Calamba?

I was gonna ask that too... haha! is there already an existing road that connects the SLEX to the STAR? according to the PNCC's SLEX traffic updates site (http://www.pncc.net/pncc/pncc_south.asp), it does end at Calamba.

but yeah, definitely good news! I hope the PNCC will accept MTD as its partner in the SLEX rehab so they can finally get this going. Malaysia's expressways look pretty impressive!! and all the delays have been pushing up the construction costs.

oh yeah... I also read an article (http://money.inq7.net/topstories/view_topstories.php?yyyy=2005&mon=07&dd=05&file=7) on INQ7Money yesterday about the NDC planning to float bonds worth P3B for its partial funding for this project.

btw, what about the Alabang Viaduct? and the Magallanes-Alabang portion? is that the part that'd been previously already upgraded to acceptable conditions?

Alabang viaduct has not been upgraded yet!

Maybe someone else will do it.

And maybe the calamba santotomas link is the new link to star.

I was thinking about that Lipa Fernando airbase, It's underutilized but if you have good links to manila, very nice, specially as an alternative for general aviation and cheap flights since region 4 has 5 million people and will probably hit 10 million in 10 years time. But of course they need to upgrade it to an airport , it's just an airstrip now. That way we have clark up north, MIA in the middle and Lipa all spaced about 50 - 60km apart.

this sounds promising.. :)

Malaysian firm deposits $2.5M for road project

First posted 02:21pm (Mla time) July 12, 2005
XFN-asia

STATE-RUN Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) said its new partner, MTD Capital Bhd, a publicly listed Malaysian tollway company, has deposited 2.5 million dollars with a Philippine bank as proof of its financial capacity to expand a major road network here.

PNCC said it would start the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) extension project after it receives the advance funding.

The SLEX runs south from Metro Manila to the province of Batangas. Its repair and expansion is estimated to cost at least 10 billion pesos.

No other details were provided in PNCC's disclosure to the stock exchange.

MTD Capital is the second biggest toll operator in Malaysia, and also operates a tollway in Sri Lanka.

It took over the SLEX project after PNCC nullified a previous partnership agreement with Hopewell Crown Infrastructure Inc. early this year. – Cecille E. Yap, XFN-Asia

There may not be available land for extension of the runway at Fernando Air Base or the place could be adjacent to mountain. How far is Mount Banahaw and/or Mount Makiling to Lipa?

Mt. Banahaw is far, Mt. Makiling is several towns away, Mt. Makulot is closer. In general the airstrip there can accomodate all planes in terms of it's air corridor landing path, I don't know about the lenght and availability of land. ANyway it's just wishfull thinking, we should get naia 3 opened first. Nandiyan na nga iyan.

taken from philstar.com..

Malaysian firm submits P11B South Luzon Expressway rehab plan
07/14 10:29:57 AM

A Malaysian construction firm Wednesday presented to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo its 11-billion peso rehabilitation plan for the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) at Malacañang.

The plan was based on a recent agreement between SLEX tollway operator Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC) and MTD-Manila Expressway Corporation (MTD-MEC), a subsidiary of MTD-Capital, Malaysia’s second largest toll operator.

The plan indicates that the rehabilitation project will be carried in three phases to ease traffic flow along the expressway stretch, thereby allowing greater travel and transport efficiency.

Phase 1 (TR1) will focus on the rehabilitation of the Alabang viaduct, widening its existing six lanes to eight, and strengthening the viaduct’s columns and foundations by completely replacing its slabs and girders to make the structure earthquake code compliant.

Phase 2 (TR2) will cover SLEX’s stretch from Filinvest to Calamba City. It will involve the widening of the stretch and strengthening its component bridge structures.

The third phase (TR3), the most labor and capital intensive among the phases, will involve the construction of a new 7.6-kilometer, four-lane expressway connecting the SLEX and the Star Highway all the way to Sto. Tomas in Batangas province.

Barring any disruptions in the plan, TR1 will commence operations in September, TR2 in August and TR3 in October this year. The entire package is expected to be completed within 24 months.

Mark Dumol, MTD-MED president, said 70 percent of the 11-billion peso project would be funded by a long-term loan to be sourced from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), while the 30 percent balance would be sourced from equity payments.

He said there will be no government financing or guarantees required, other than the financing of "rights-of-way" acquisition.

Dato Azmil Khalid, MTD-Capital group managing director, said they are fully committed to the completion of the SLEX rehabilitation project despite the political situation in the Philippines.

"Madam President, we are very committed to this investment. We are oblivious to what is happening and we feel this is an investment that will go on and we will not change our stand on this," Khalid said.

well, they have streamers announcing the project all over. talagang tuloy-tuloy na 'to.

nway, before things get really busy out there, just a good look of the existing one. from calamba to buendia...warning: medyo marami

traffic is pretty light from here
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/slex/IMG_0554.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/slex/IMG_0559.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/slex/IMG_0562.jpg

traffic is starting to build up
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/slex/IMG_0566.jpg

approaching filinvest
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/slex/IMG_0568.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/slex/IMG_0572.jpg

going down alabang viaduct
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/slex/IMG_0574.jpg

going under the skyway...tipid muna :D
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/slex/IMG_0579.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/slex/IMG_0583.jpg

C5 flyover
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/slex/IMG_0585.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/slex/IMG_0587.jpg

notice those columns for the naia expressway interchange
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/slex/IMG_0591.jpg

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/slex/IMG_0596.jpg

welcome to manila...
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y91/imagesaver1206/national%20roads/slex/IMG_0600.jpg

:eek: Awesome pics, dudz! Some of the best shots of SLEX i've seen:) Great quality.

Hmm... in the Magallanes ramp down to SLEX from Skyway, it finally explains why it was sticking out quite a bit, I've been seeing those ramps all these times visiting and living there, without any answer as to why it's like that:D

Is it just me or the Bicutan exit lane repeats too much?

parang last week lang ako bumiyahe dyan ah.. hehehe... nice pics master dudz! buti na lang walang gaanong traffic... :)

Btw, I forgot to ask, hows the NAIA expressway? Looking at those photos it's not going as fast as I thought it would be, but there could be other developments not shown in the photo

thanks aaron and amras :) medyo hapon na kaya maluwag-luwag hanggang magallanes but beyond...nightmare.

@renell: well, some drivers have to be reminded that often...baka lumampas :D also didn't notice any activity on that interchange project, it's still the same as the last time i passed by there last may. but hopefully in some sections.

nice pics@dudz. baka nagkasabay tayo simula calamba expressway nun araw na yan ah? :D hehe :jk:

thanks mhe-ann :) took them thursday afternoon from a family trip to san pablo. Di ko nakalimutan tingnan ang mt. makiling from some angles...baka sakali makita ko na ang 'babaeng buntis' :D kaya lang di pa rin eh :hehe: i also took photos of laguna's scenic roads.

^alam ko na kung bakit tinawag nilang buntis. un location ng tuhod, un tyan, un ulo at buhok na nakalugay..tinuro lahat ng workmate ko. hehe. may scenic roads ba sa laguna? parang wala. hehe. :jk:

^alam ko na kung bakit tinawag nilang buntis. un location ng tuhod, un tyan, un ulo at buhok na nakalugay..tinuro lahat ng workmate ko. hehe. may scenic roads ba sa laguna? parang wala. hehe. :jk:

that place is sooo mystical.... un lang

Uyy, may bagong pix si Pareng Dudz.

Cool , isn't it interesting to have the sequence start as a green corridor tapos it keeps getting denser and denser till all you see is cars , and highways, you can't even make out the buildings on the side. Parang sim city or hbo commercial.

From http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2005/jul/19/yehey/business/20050719bus8.html
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
By Cai U. Ordinario, Researcher

THE Alabang viaduct project is facing further delay since Filinvest Development Corp. (FDC) is “in discussion” regarding its decision whether to allow a rerouting scheme inside its property which is required for the project’s implementation and completion.

FDC is the holding company of Filinvest Land Inc., whose subsidiary includes Filinvest Alabang Inc. which is managing Filinvest Corporate City where the rerouting scheme would take place.

The repair of the P770-million worth Alabang viaduct is part of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) rehabilitation and repair program of the government. This development secures the immediate enforcement of the much-delayed P10-billion expressway.

Fely T. Ramos, Filinvest Land first vice president, told The Manila Times that the company had no position on the rerouting.

Southbound traffic will be diverted through Filinvest Corporate City. Vehicles going southbound will exit before reaching the viaduct, pass through Filinvest Corporate City, and reenter SLEX at the Filinvest interchange area at ground level.

In 2004 Filinvest Land’s real-estate sales increased to P2.24 million, from P1.47 million in 2003 and P1.65 million in 2002. However, its realized gross profits on real-estate sales last year declined to P105,975, from P213,559 in 2003 and P268,640 in 2002.

Earlier, trade-department officials disclosed that the approach to the viaduct from Calamba will soon consist of three lanes and the exit will be positioned between the Soldier Hill’s bridge and the Filinvest interchange.

Three lanes will be operational by March this year, during which the viaduct repair would have already started. Initially, the Philippine National Construction Corp. targeted the viaduct’s construction to begin October 2003.

As early as that time, the PNCC said that it has coordinated with the local government of Muntinlupa, Filinvest Alabang, utility companies, Philippine National Police, and Metro Manila Development Authority on possible alternate routes.

Filinvest Alabang’s approval or disapproval would be paramount since half of the viaduct will be closed and reconstructed at a time.

The southbound direction of the viaduct will be closed and reconstructed first for about five to six months, followed by the closure and reconstruction of the northbound direction for another five to six months.

Vehicles going northbound of SLEX will be allowed to use the viaduct throughout the construction period, alternating between the halves of the viaduct as reconstruction is ongoing and completed on each side.

The rehabilitation of the Alabang viaduct will include retrofitting of the substructure and upgrading it to conform with the latest code requirements.

The other phases of the SLEX project include the rehabilitation of the 27 kilometer Alabang-Calamba segment and the construction on the 7.8-kilometer extension highway from Calamba to Santo Tomas, Batangas.

Looks like they're waiting for a vehicle to help collapse the building so they can start work :no:

@bustero, also notice the transition between green and urban with the "billboard" section;) Fortunately only the skyway people see it in its short stretch:D

we have only few of these urban infra projects tapos madedelay pa :bash:. hopefully filinvest will agree to it and soon.

@mhe-ann: pag undulating ang kalsada at pakurbada, scenic na yun sa akin :D at maraming ganun sa laguna kaya lang umulan ng malakas kaya konti lang ang kuha ko :(

@bustero: thanks...yeah, that was also the idea actually:) aside from showing the road itself. and did the same thing with the other direction :D only this 'trip' is better :)

maybe they are worried about the traffic congestion that might occur inside filinvest once the re-routing is done... but i'm just speculating... well just wait about their decision and hopefully the agencies involved could settle down an appropriate decision soon. :)

hmmm, i dont think they have problems w/ filinvest, the latter afterall has no other option but to abide on the plan, they know the long-term benefits everyone can get thru the project. tingin ko, kulang pa rin sa funding kaya 'nagpapalusot' lang yan. o kung meron na, baka biglang nagkulang ulit. mahilig dyan ang PNCC, u know... :(

ay naku...lagi naman. :no:

oh well whenever it starts , good luck to you all in the south!

well we can always brag ours got fixed first:D... even though if it was just up to Sucat. lol.

Remember this is upgrade two..

By Raymond Young
The Philippine STAR 07/27/2005

Those living or doing business South of Luzon will be delighted to hear that the main road network linking them to the rest of Luzon will undergo upgrades and rehabilitation.

The Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC), together with MMEC (MTD-Manila Expressway Corporation), has signed an agreement to start the upgrade and rehabilitation of South Luzon Expressway by mid-August of this year. Once fully completed, traffic down South will be a thing of the past as the rehabilitation plan is designed to improve traffic flow. The plan includes the rehabilitation of the Alabang Viaduct in Muntinlupa City, widening and rehabilitation of lanes from Alabang to Calamba, Laguna, and highway extension from Calamba to Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

The MTD Group, PNCC’s partner in this undertaking, is the second biggest toll road operator in Malaysia and is also an international toll road operator. Currently it has existing toll roads in India and Malaysia, and the Philippines will be the next once the SLEX rehabilitation is complete. The MTD Group is also among Malaysia’s top five construction companies, with various infrastructure projects in the ASEAN region as well as in South America.

Alabang Viaduct Rehabilitation

The Phase I of the plan is the rehabilitation of the Alabang Viaduct in Muntinlupa. Currently, it is a 6-lane bridge with a length of 1.2 kilometers. Due to its weak superstructure and non-compliance with the current earthquake code, trucks are not allowed to use the viaduct and are instead forced to take the at-grade section of the highway, which slows them down and causes heavy traffic. Bottlenecks are also imminent once the Skyway System is extended up to Alabang.

Upon rehabilitation, the viaduct will be widened to eight lanes. Slabs and girders will be replaced, and the existing columns and foundations will also be reinforced to conform to current earthquake standards. Alabang-Calamba Rehabilitation and Expansion
Currently, this is where traffic down South is beginning to slow to a grind. Traffic on the four lane stretch after Alabang towards Calamba in Laguna is quickly building up, depending on the day and time of the journey. In addition, the fourteen bridges aren’t compliant with the current earthquake code.

To address the following problems, the Filinvest to Sta. Rosa section will be widened to eight lanes, for a total of 15.6 kilometers, and the remaining stretch towards Calamba will be widened to six lanes, for a total of 11.7 kilometers. All bridges in the aforementioned sections will be widened and strengthened.

Direct Access to the STAR

Currently, the expressway ends on the Calamba exit, wherein everybody must take the two-lane national highway. If the destination is Batangas, one is encouraged to endure the horrendous traffic in this area before making a right turn towards the STAR (Southern Tagalog Arterial Road) Tollway that eventually leads to the different towns in the said province. In due time, the STAR Tollway will also be extended to Batangas City, in which an international port resides.

The last phase of the project will entail the construction of a new four lane, 7.6 kilometer expressway that will connect SLEX to the STAR.

New SLEX in Two Years

All in all, the project is estimated at PHP 11 billion, with 30 percent equity and 70 percent long term loan coming most likely from Independent Financial Corporations. Interim financing will be provided by MTD from internal sources. The good news is, the Philippine government need not shell out money for the rehabilitation, except for matters concerning right-of-way acquisition, which is its duty in the first place.

Furthermore, if all government permits and right-of-way are obtained promptly, the rehabilitation will take only 24 months, or about two years, and the PNCC-MMEC consortium promises to fulfill this without disrupting the current traffic flow. Phase 1 starts on August, Phase 2 on September, and Phase 3 on October, all within this year. Hopefully, by the time the entire rehabilitation is completed, additional savings on the part of the road user will be realized due to faster and smoother traffic flow.

So phase 1 will start tomorrow will it?:D Seriously though, if it starts within the year it would be great news for all southern Luzon

^^ im still dreaming tho, they they would just build a tunnel instead of rehabilitating it :D

Did you mean the Alabang viaduct rehabilitation ?

Yah , me also I wish they will instead construct a tunnel and make a beautiful park like landscaping on the ground level . That will be awesome if that materialize as it will perhaps trigger beautification in the area.

When will the rehab of Alabang viaduct starts..in the news says this month and this month is halfway...paging PNCC .

as we have learnt in due time, infastructure projects always have a delay in implementation......so hopefully it will be started by end of the year 2005
philpal

When will the rehab of Alabang viaduct starts..in the news says this month and this month is halfway...paging PNCC .

as long as I'm driving from the south to north, (which would be a semester and a half, or so) I'm in no particular hurry for the construction to start :D

The rehabilitation of lanes already started.

that's good to hear. probably means that all of the SLEX rehabilitation and the connection to STAR will finish in... maybe 2 1/2 years?

Yes, thats good to hear. So has traffic conditions deteriorated because of the rehab?

Yes, thats good to hear. So has traffic conditions deteriorated because of the rehab?
ahhmm...not really. last friday, the space occupied (middle lane) by workers was not that wide, so the cars can still easily pass on either left or right side. btw, I'm talking about the lane going back to laguna.

I guess you could avoid it by taking other routes.. shortcuts maybe underneath the bridge paying the toll then going again... taking the service road from Sucat, go right into Filinvest then exit out of their toll plaza. Perhaps if you're in Manila you can use coastal road instead? :? obviously I haven't been to MM for a long time now so I'm not too educated with the roads there

^^ Yeah, Coastal Road is always a good alternative. The problem with that though is to get there, you have to take Alabang-Zapote road, which is busy as hell.

SLEX from aiden's website:
http://www.aidan.co.uk/md/PlpMnlSthHiwayTrafc5216.jpg
"Looking north along the South Superhighway approaching the southern edge of Manila. On either side of the highway are giant billboards typical of the Philippines."

damn super dame na talaga billboards. tapos panay muka pa ne Kris Aquino. yuck

^game ka na ba :lol:

game na!!! :lol:

^^^^


Kris just said earlier in game ka na ba that it took her 5 hours to get back in manila using SLEX.. thats why she's praising the NLEX which is very fast, modern, etc... haha.. just my cents.!

SLEX from aiden's website:
http://www.aidan.co.uk/md/PlpMnlSthHiwayTrafc5216.jpg
"Looking north along the South Superhighway approaching the southern edge of Manila. On either side of the highway are giant billboards typical of the Philippines."

With all these billboards spaced too close to each other, you can hardly see what they're advertising (not that you should look at them for long periods of time while you're the one driving.). It just makes the highway cluttered and claustrophobic. :down:

That's like a special shot, in reality they're not that near and are actually 100 meters apart from each other. quite visible really.

I think they don't look visible in that picture because you're not really looking at the billboards at that angle. But with the rate at which traffic travels on EDSA, billboards can be set 15 meters apart and you will still be able to read them.

damn super dame na talaga billboards. tapos panay muka pa ne Kris Aquino. yuck

uknow alot of provocative billboards of hers along w/ others should be censored in some specific areas. sabi nga ni miriam, mm has turned into billboard hell :lol:

Pina-stop nga nung mommy Cory niya yung isang billboard niya na ilalabas pa lang.

uknow alot of provocative billboards of hers along w/ others should be censored in some specific areas. sabi nga ni miriam, mm has turned into billboard hell :lol:

Anyway, guys, do you see the blue tower at the background?
Pacific Plaza ba yun? Parang eh.

^^^^
ang sakit naman ng sinasabi nyo sa mga billboards na yan.. course ko pa naman advertising... we're just doing our jobs no.. :(

well it gives color to the highway doesn't it?:D and also it's good for those who are doing a advertising course, only the fittest in the industry survive... i guess. you need to be creative and all that for your ad to contribute to the most accidents by looking at it:D

If you're in advertising, I suggest you look at crm, faster growing field,

the billboards will become a moot topic anyway, while I like them (who does not like a 100 foot cindy curleto), lugilugi na ang mga billboard company sa dami nila, so the market will self regulate, ngayon palang dami nang walang laman. There won't be any new ones and most probably some will start to go...

That building is intriguing I think pacific plaza is way too far, but what else could it be??? so as sherlock holmes said after eliminating the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable must be the truth...any other possiblities, the pix is facing north right, I remember the kenny rogers chicken on the left is before sucat.

by the way

walang bang bagong tower sa alabang

well it has to be an old photo of the Bicutan-Magallanes stretch. If you go up in skyway I believe a lot of them are still visible. I was thinking Alabang-Sucat stretch.... but yeah Pacific Plaza looks too big.

Pre Construction Works to Start for South Highway
Philippine Daily Inquirer - 9/3/05

Philippine National Construction Corp.
(PNCC) and its joint venture partner,
Manila Expressway Corp., will start preconstruction
activities for the South Luzon
Expressway rehabilitation, expansion and
extension project (SLEX Project). It is a
flagship program projected to propel the
economic and industrial growth of Southern
Tagalog. International engineering consultant
Scott Wilson Pavement Engineering
Sdn. Bhd. (SWPE) and Renardet SA
Consulting Engineers have been engaged
to conduct a series of pavement testing
and investigation along the Alabang-
Calamba Stretch of the SLEX prior to fullscale
rehabilitation and expansion.

^ kaya traffic na papuntang alabang kanina.

finally! :cheers: sana tuloy-tuloy na.

The price of the toll is going up again. THe evat will see to that! Sana they could focus a certain part of the tax exclusively for transport since that sector will be paying for it anyway.

6 foreign groups eye stake in Slex rehab
Posted: 4:46 PM | Oct. 10, 2004

Clarissa S. Batino
Inquirer News Service

HOPEWELL Crown Infrastructure Inc., the private group tasked to rehabilitate and operate the South Luzon Expressway, said it is in talks with six foreign groups interested in participating in the P10-billion upgrade of the Slex.

Joel Bañares, president of Hopewell Crown, said the company was discussing possible ventures with Egis of France, Leighton of Australia, Cise of Spain, MTD Capital of Malaysia, American firm Transcore and SNC Lavalin of Canada.

Egis and Leighton are also partners of Benpres Corp. in Manila North Tollways Corp. Cise, MTD and Transcore are all tollway operators in their respective countries.

"We are in various stages of negotiation with the foreign groups but all have a high level of interest. The Slex is a very viable project. We want to be able to choose a strategic partner within the year," Bañares said in an interview.

Bañares was finance undersecretary during the Estrada administration in charge of the country's foreign borrowings.

He said Metro Pacific Corp. had approached the group but that the discussion was nothing serious.

"I think Metro Pacific is focusing first on the Skyway project, which also needs attention. The group approached us after much had been written about their interest in the Slex," said the Hopewell Crown official.

First Pacific Co. Ltd, parent firm of Metro Pacific, is keen on rehabilitating Skyway Corp. First Pacific managing head Manuel Pangilinan said the group also wanted to take part in the upgrade and link-up of the South Luzon road all the way to the Batangas port.

Bañares said Hopewell would eventually select one or two from the six foreign groups to become its strategic partner. Hopewell owns 80 percent of South Luzon Tollway Corp., a joint venture with Philippine National Construction Corp.

The group of George Go, through Crown Equities Inc., used to own 90 percent of Hopewell Crown but ceded early this year 60 percent of its stake to Northeast Development Acquisitions Corp. The company is backed by low-key Filipino investors who would rather remain passive, Bañares said.

Hopewell Crown, which is 10-percent owned by Hopewell Holdings Ltd. of Gordon Wu, signed a $480-million deal with the Estrada administration to carry out two phases of the rehabilitation and expansion of the Slex.

The first phase costs about P10 billion, according to Bañares. This covers the rehabilitation of the Alabang viaduct, the widening of the Alabang to Calamba stretch and the link-up of Slex in Calamba to the Star highway in Sto. Tomas, Batangas.

Once construction starts next year, he said the first phase should be completed in three to four years. The group has to secure the right of way for the eight-kilometer link-up of Slex and Star.

The second phase is the extension of Slex from Calamba all the way to Lucena City.

Bañares said 30 percent of the project cost would be financed with equity and the remaining 70 percent by debt.

He said Northeast Development was prepared to spend P1 billion in equity to start the project next year while the tollway company was completing its financial package, which would usually take a year.

Hopewell Crown is also talking with several multilateral groups to help finance the project, Bañares added.

He said South Luzon Tollway would also have to increase fees upon the completion of the project so it could recover the cost of investments and to generate some return.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
wow, $480M... what a big project. I read on another article that the plan was to stretch the SLEX by another 88-km. or extended to a total of 88-km, but I'm not too sure. either way, $480M is still pretty big. that's like NAIA-3! can't wait to see them finally get going with this. as well as Metro Pacific restarting Skyway. btw, isn't Hopewell the same company that had this big elevated highway/skytrain combination in Bangkok that didn't push through? calamba to lucena city ? wow aprox. 80kms. additional for SLEX i wish that vission come true!

^^ Indeed a very good plan and I hope it really comes true but I also wish that the toll prices won't go up that much :)

calamba to lucena city ? wow aprox. 80kms. additional for SLEX i wish that vission come true!

I will get myself hanged if SLEX pushes thru up to Matnog, Sorsogon (parang Miriam Defensor) in my lifetime. Ehehehe... Good news but not enough will. We should have had a full North-South (including mindanao) Highway by now like what Malaysia did. Hayzzz.... :bash:

get ready for a hanging olineal he he

maybe 2020 we'll see SLEX until the tip of Luzon's southern end, or somewhere near there. If not SLEX another tollway that links up with SLEX. Maybe they'll call it BREX (Bicol Region Expressway).

The problem with these BOTs is that the government does not have much say in the toll fees. It's not them that gets the cash.

http://news.inq7.net/infotech/index.php?index=1&story_id=56340

First posted 11:56pm (Mla time) Nov 12, 2005
By Alexander Villafania
INQ7.net

FRENCH firm Groupe Egis is set to interconnect the two existing electronic toll collection systems in the North and South Luzon Expressways (NLEX and SLEX) as part of an integration process to streamline the toll collection and management of the two highways’ concessionaires.
NLEX is currently being managed by Manila North Tollways Corp., while the SLEX is managed by the Philippine National Construction Company. Both are the first major thoroughfares to have e-Pass services that use radio frequency ID (RFID) tags for toll collection.

Group Egis put up Easytrip Service Corporation in the Philippines precisely to integrate the NLEX and SLEX e-toll systems.

Easytrip business development manager Gary Espino explained that the concessionaires will outsource the management of the collection system to Easytrip. The company will also work on replacing redundant radio transponders in some vehicles into one transponder.

“These separate tags cost between 1,400 pesos to 2,700 pesos and some vehicle owners have both installed in their cars. As we integrate the e-Pass systems of both NLEX and SLEX, we’ll be replacing the radio transponders with only one device that can be scanned by either e-toll collection systems in NLEX and SLEX,” Espino said.

Espino added that the new radio transponders will also work as “smart cards” to pay for parking lot and drive-thru services. The company is working with several business and consumers establishments to install automated collection systems.

Espino also hopes that they would be able to create a centralized payment management system for car owners through the Internet, text messaging, or automated teller machines. “The goal is to make it more convenient to pay for vehicle services and let the highway concessionaires focus on their business.”
----------------
Good! I'll wait for the centralized system to be up and running before I get our own e-pass/e-tag...

Nice to hear that. That'd be a nice move. When C-6 will be built, the travel between South and North Luzon will be a breeze.
Good news keep on coming for the SLEX rehab. thanks for those articles @ apiong and absent-minded.

hehey, that'll be sweet. What won't be for some motorists is that both will be more expensive wont' it?;) the price of development i guess...

Taken from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=22234

MetroPac, French firm in talks over SLEX


By DARWIN G. AMOJELAR, The Manila Times Reporter

Metro Pacific Corp., the Philippine unit of Hong Kong-listed conglomerate First Pacific, and French infrastructure firm Groupe Egis are in talks for a possible partnership for the rehabilitation and extension of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) project, a source told The Manila Times.

The $200-million SLEX project involves the repair of the Alabang viaduct and the extension of the expressway from Calamba, Laguna, to Santo Tomas, Batangas.

The French infrastructure firm is also interested in other road projects like the Skyway, the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) and coastal road projects, the source said.

The source said that of the $200-million cost of the SLEX project, $140 million will be secured through bank borrowings while the balance of $60 million would be in the form of equity to be financed by the company that Metro Pacific and Groupe Egis plans to establish.

The source said 60 percent of the $60 million will come from Metro Pacific and the remaining 40 percent from Groupe Egis.

At present, MTD Capital Berhad of Malaysia is handling the SLEX rehabilitation and expansion project. MTD Capital is the second biggest toll operator in Malaysia, handling four toll ways.

Fully-owned by Caisse des Depots et Consignations (CDC), a major French public-sector institution, Groupe Egis is involved in projects such as roads and highways, airports, railways, urban and regional public transport and water and environment around the world. Groupe Egis is behind successful projects in Poland, China, Australia, United Kingdom, Greece, France, Hungary, Korea and Malaysia among others.
_______________________

Isnt the rehabilitation of SLEX supposed to be ungoing? Ive seen some construction crew in SLEX with signs saying soil testing or preliminary works... Based on the article above, it seems that no company has yet to bankroll the rehabilitation... Can somebody explain whats going on with SLEX? thanks...

Are there new updates in the rehabilitation, expansion and improvement of SLEX? :)

^^ nothin is goin on in slex, no major rehab nor expansion is takin place... who says its on-goin???? sana matuloy na yang Egis takeover, the one also involved in nlex rehab :D ayoko ng asian operators, sakit ng ulo!!!

passed by the whole thing yesterday and did not see a single thing.

they should just package the whole southern highways (skyways from alabang to meycauayan, coastal road, star connection, lucen extension) and give it to this one guy para once and for all like the sctex.

^^^ any fishy idea why theyre bidding them by segments???!!!

taken from philstar.com..

PNCC set to start SLEX expansion
By Rhodina Villanueva
The Philippine Star 12/29/2005

Motorists should expect heavy traffic on the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and adjoining thoroughfares as construction activities are set to commence in the area as part of the expansion project of the Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) and partner-companies within the first quarter of next year.

The PNCC said it was just awaiting for the "Supplemental Toll Operations Agreement" (STOA) to be signed by concerned agencies for construction to begin.

The STOA will define terms and conditions governing activities to be undertaken at the sites, including time frame as well as the specific roles and obligations of the PNCC, project proponents, Malaysian firm MTD Expressway Inc. and the government.

PNCC officials said initial activities have been conducted in the area four months ago, causing minor traffic buildup.

Advisories to the public will be issued before the road-widening project formally begins so that motorists can take alternative routes.

Charito Chavez, head of the PNCC Corporate Communications Office, earlier confirmed that pavement assessment has been undertaken on Toll Road 2, referring to the route from Alabang to Calamba.

On Toll Road 1, or the Alabang viaduct, an alternative route is also being made in time for its rehabilitation.

The project intends to extend SLEX coverage from Alabang to Calamba by 7.8 kilometers up to Sto. Tomas, Batangas, and connect it to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR), which runs through Sto. Tomas town in Batangas.

Chavez admitted that once work is concentrated in the Alabang area, there will be a slowdown of activities.

"But whatever lanes are available now will still be passable to motorists during that time," he said.

Muntinlupa City officials have raised concern over the possible heavy traffic in the area once rehabilitation is carried out. Part of the SLEX expansion work is the rehabilitation and widening of the Alabang viaduct, which has started to develop cracks.

Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi said he hoped that construction work would only take a year, but the PNCC said completion might take at least two years.

woohoo finally! although too bad for the motorists going to makati while it's ongoing. good thing i left the phils before this happened as i used to make that drive in the morning coming out of filinvest exit.

there's an interesting document i read somewhere in the ayala land website which highlighted their plans for ayala south (ie. all of the land they've been buying in sta rosa, binan, canlubang)... however unless they establish an easy connection to their main CBDs - makati and bonifacio, it's not going to be attractive to residential buyers which is why they were so interested in getting the southrail contract... too bad they didnt though.

Well with the SS highway developments, travel ought to be easier... now for a fast commuter train.

ALABANG VIADUCT
i always read about this viaduct. how long is it, where is it, how wide (how many lanes) is it ?

around 900 meters long, 3 lanes each way.

We've been waiting for this development for a while, but it'll be hell for those who live there and beyond while it's being built! Good luck to you southerners.

finally!!! but i can't imagine the traffic jam in Alabang. I guess people better invest in buying gate pass stickers for Alabang Hills and/or BF Homes so they can cut through them from Zapote to Sucat. That's what we used to do before the Expressway was repaired and the Filinvest exit was built.

around 900 meters long, 3 lanes each way.

We've been waiting for this development for a while, but it'll be hell for those who live there and beyond while it's being built! Good luck to you southerners.


thanks bustero,
are there any pics of this viaduct ?

I've been stuck in traffic many times while on the alabang viaduct, and man I swear you could feel the thing shake side to side when a large truck drives thru from the other direction. They're repairing that thing not a moment too soon... I was always afraid that thing would collapse one day with all the cars on top (and underneath) it.

The traffic mess will probably be similar to the time they constructed the skyway.

Hi everyone, I hope you guys will not mind if I post a news report from malaysia concerning this project.

January 20, 2006 12:17 PM

M'sian Firm Starts Upgrade Of Manila Expressway

MANILA, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysian tollway firm MTD Capital Bhd has begun work on upgrading a major Philippine highway to transform it into one of Asia's most modern infrastructure facilities.

Estimated to cost 11 billion pesos (100 pesos=RM6.9400), the project involves the extension and widening of the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) which links Metro Manila with nearby Laguna, Cavite, Quezon and Batangas provinces.

Work began recently after President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo approved the supplemental toll operations agreement between MTD Capital and the government's Toll Regulatory Board (TRB).

"We immediately informed the Malaysians about the approval so that the project could get off the ground," Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila said.

The Slex upgrade, a tie-up with state-owned Philippines National Construction Corp (PNCC), is the first Philippine venture of MTD Capital, Malaysia's second largest tollway operator.

Listed on Bursa Malaysia, MTD Capital also operates a tollway in Sri Lanka.

Under the agreement, the Malaysian firm will finance the project's total cost through its own funds and any loans will not entail any sovereign guarantee from the Philippine government.

It had earlier deposited US$2.5 million (US$1=RM3.7460) with a Philippine bank as proof of its financial capacity to undertake the project.

The International Finance Corp (IFC), the World Bank's investment arm, has already committed to provide US$50 million for the project, IFC Philippines head Vipul Bhagat said.

"We're meeting with the TRB and PNCC regarding the Slex project. We will lend US$50 million to MTD," he said.

To carry out the project, the Malaysian firm has formed its Philippine subsidiary, the MTD-Manila Expressway Corp, in tandem with the PNCC.

The project consists of three major components -- rehabilitation of a viaduct, widening of expressway and its 7.6-kilometre extension to the Southern Tagalog arterial road (Star).

Under the plan, the 1.2-kilometre viaduct -- located in Alabang town -- will be widened from six to eight lanes.

Its slabs and girders will be replaced and existing columns and foundations will be strengthened to accommodate cargo trucks.

A 27.3-kilometre portion of Slex will be widened from four to eight lanes, while another 11.7-kilometre stretch will be expanded from four to six lanes.

MTD Capital will also widen and strengthen all 14 bridges and other substructures along the expressway which, based on its findings, do not comply with the current earthquake code.

The project's first phase is targeted to be completed in three to four years, but this would depend on how fast MTD and PNCC can secure the right-of-way.

-- BERNAMA

Looking good hope it gets completed in time..

^^Good news.