SLEX operation turned over to SLTC

MANILA, Philippines - After much delays, the South Luzon Tollway Corp. (SLTC) has finally been awarded the right to operate and maintain the newly rehabilitated South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) tollway.

The Toll Regulatory Board formally served notice to the Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) to turn over the operation and maintenance of SLEX to SLTC and its tollway operation and management company Manila Toll Expressway Systems, Inc. on Friday.

The TRB had granted SLTC the authority to operate the SLEX through a Toll Operation Certificate dated Nov. 27 which provided that MATES was issued the authority to use the SLEX tollway facilities owned by the government and that income from the toll collection under the new operator will be remitted to the government through the TRB.

Isaac David, SLTC president, welcomed the turnover of the SLEX operation and maintenance to their company, pointing out that their P12 billion rehabilitation and improvement of the tollway was now 99 percent complete.

David noted that the takeover of the SLEX was provided for by the Supplemental Toll Operation Agreement it forged with the government in February 2006.

The rehabilitation and upgrading of the 29 kms. South Luzon Tollway and its eight-kilometer extension to Batangas was solely funded by the project investor MTD Capital Berhad of Malaysia.

The former four-lane expressway and its viaducts and bridges have been widened to eight lanes from Alabang to Santa Rosa, and six lanes to Calamba. The extension to Santo Tomas, Batangas involves the laying out of a four-lane tollway currently under construction.   – Rainier Allan Ronda