South Luzon Expressway

TheSouth Luzon Expressway(SLEX),signed asE2of thePhilippine expressway networkandR-3of theMetro Manila arterial road network, is acontrolled-access highwaythat connectsMetro Manilato the provinces in theCalabarzon,MimaropaandBicol Regionon the island ofLuzonin thePhilippines. The expressway has a length of 49.56 km (30.80 miles), traveling from its northern terminus at theMagallanes InterchangeinMakatito its southern terminus atSanto Tomas, Batangas, connecting it to theSouthern Tagalog Arterial Road(STAR Tollway). A portion of the expressway from the Magallanes Interchange to the Calamba Exit is part ofAsian Highway 26of theAsian highway network. It will be the longest expressway in the Philippines starting with the completion of Toll Road 4 surpassing theSubic–Clark–Tarlac Expressway(SCTEX) as well as providing a gateway toVisayasupon the completion of Toll Road 5.
The expressway also serves as a major utility corridor, carrying various high voltageoverhead power linesand anoil pipeline. Notable power lines using the expressway's right of way for most or part of their route are theSucat–Paco–Araneta–Balintawaktransmission line, and theBiñan–Calambaand Calamba–Bay lines. The Magallanes–Alabang section of the expressway was also used to carry the Batangas–Pandacan oil pipeline.
The expressway was built in 1969 to develop areas adjacent to Metro Manila, particularly the south. The original route spanning from Magallanes, Makati, toAlabang,Muntinlupa, was extended to Laguna in 1978.In 1995, the Magallanes–Alabang section became part of theSkyway System's at-grade section. Rehabilitation efforts on the expressway followed, lasting from 2006 to 2009. Operations were transferred fromPhilippine National Construction Corporation(PNCC) to the South Luzon Tollways Corporation (SLTC) and Manila Toll Expressway Systems (MATES) on May 2, 2010. Additionally, it is connected to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road in Batangas, through the Toll Road 3 project (Calamba–Santo Tomas) that was constructed from 2007 to 2010, inaugurated on June 15, 2010, and opened to the traffic six months after its inauguration on December 15, 2010.
The South Luzon Expressway cuts southwards fromMetro Manilaup to the provinces in Calabarzon. The expressway consists of two sections: the 13.43-kilometer (8.35 mi) Skyway At-Grade segment, which runs underneath theSkywayfromMagallanes InterchangeinMakatito Alabang Exit inMuntinlupa,and the 36.13-kilometer (22.45 mi) South Luzon Tollway (SLT) segment, also called the Alabang–Calamba–Santo Tomas Expressway (ACTEX), from Alabang toSanto Tomas,Batangas. Skyway At-Grade operations are held jointly by the Skyway Operations and Maintenance Corporation (SOMCO) and SMC Skyway Corporation (formerly Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corporation),while the South Luzon Tollway segment of SLEX is held by SMC SLEX, Inc. (formerly South Luzon Tollway Corporation), a concessionaire operated by Manila Toll Expressway Systems, Inc. (MATES) and a joint venture of thePhilippine National Construction Corporationand theSan Miguel Corporation-backed PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada Tbk group of Indonesia. SLT/ACTEX is further divided into three phases:
The South Luzon Expressway starts as the physical extension ofOsmeña Highwaypast theMagallanes Interchange, where it also meetsCircumferential Road 4, particularlyEDSA. The expressway runs through 49.56 km (30.80 miles), spanning the cities ofMakati,Pasay,Taguig,Parañaque, andMuntinlupainMetro Manilaand the provinces ofCavite,Laguna, andBatangas. From its northern terminus at Magallanes Interchange, the expressway follows a straight path southeast in parallel to thePNR South Main Lineuntil the Bicutan Exit, where it slightly bends to the south towards the Alabang Exit. Twoservice roadsrun on either side of the expressway fromSales Interchangeto Alabang Exit, namely: West Service Road and East Service Road.Bicycle lanesare also present on the outermost lane of the toll-free northern section of the expressway, between the Magallanes and Sales Interchanges.
At the Alabang Exit, SLEX ascends to the Alabang Viaduct,a 1.242-kilometer (0.772 mi), eight-lane viaduct over theManila South RoadthroughAlabang, Muntinlupa. After its descent at Filinvest Exit, SLEX mostly parallels the Manila South Road in Muntinlupa and northwesternLaguna, passing through the Susana Heights Exit connecting it to theMuntinlupa–Cavite Expressway.It continues as a straight roadway lined with billboards and passing through residential and industrial areas. Past the San Pedro Exit, the expressway then curves and ascends past the Petron and Caltex service areas. Past Santa Rosa Exit, SLEX narrows with guard rails as the median divider. At the Calamba Exit, the Pan-Philippine Highway concurrency ends as it leaves the expressway towards the west as Maharlika Highway. Past such exit, the expressway further narrows without exits and with bridges built with wide shoulders to accommodate future widening. It follows a curved route paralleling thePan-Philippine Highway(Maharlika Highway) from Calamba toSanto Tomas,Batangas. It then meets its future interchange with SLEX Toll Road 4 (TR4), which will extend it up toLucenaand eventually toMatnog,Sorsogon, via SLEX Toll Road 5 (TR5). It then curves as it enters Santo Tomas before it ends at kilometer 57.5, continuing towardsBatangas Cityas theSTAR Tollway.
The South Luzon Expressway was originally built during the 1960s as the Manila South Diversion Road, South Superhighway, or Manila South Expressway as newer roads used to travel from and to Manila.Located then in the province ofRizal, the original stretch of the expressway, spanning approximately 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) fromEDSA(Highway 54) in Magallanes,Makatito Alabang Exit inMuntinlupa, was constructed beginning in 1967 and was completed on December 16, 1969.It is the second roadway project completed by thePhilippine National Construction Corporation, afterNorth Luzon Expressway.
Later, the expressway was extended by another 29 kilometers (18 mi) from Alabang up toCalamba,Lagunathrough the Manila South Expressway Extension project.It included the 1.2-kilometer-long (0.75 mi) Alabang Viaduct inAlabang. The extension was completed and inaugurated by PresidentFerdinand Marcoson May 4, 1978, which was opened to public use a few weeks later.
In 1982, South Superhighway from Magallanes to Calamba was renamed toDr. Jose P. Rizal Highway, after thePhilippine national heroDr. José Rizal, who hailed from Laguna. This renaming was brought about by Batas Pambansa Blg. 264.In 1989, it was renamed toPresident Sergio Osmeña Sr. Highway, after theCommonwealthPresidentSergio Osmeña, by virtue of Republic Act No. 6760.The act was amended through Republic Act No. 7625 in 1992 to rename its portion in Laguna from kilometer 28.387 inSan Pedrosouthwards toDr. Jose P. Rizal Highway.
In 1995, the rehabilitation of the 13.43-kilometer (8.35 mi) portion of SLEX from Magallanes to Alabang began as part of South Metro Manila Skyway Project Stage 1 that also includes the construction of the elevated Skyway above it up to Bicutan area.Thus, the Alabang Exit, which was also the expressway's former southern terminus, was designated as the concession boundary as PNCC decided to split SLEX into two concessions – the section from Magallanes to Alabang is made part of the Skyway System as the Skyway At-Grade, while the remaining section from Alabang southwards retains the South Luzon Expressway concession branding.
In 1996, PNCC entered into a joint venture with Hong Kong-basedHopewell Holdingsto modernize and extend the expressway.The JV agreement also proposes the extension of the expressway by about 79 kilometers (49 mi) from Calamba toPagbilao,Quezon. However, Hopewell Crown Infrastructure Inc. (HCII) would later back out of the undertaking in 2003, thus Hopewell's deal with PNCC was also terminated in 2005.
On February 1, 2006, a new agreement was signed between Malaysia-based MTD Berhad and PNCC to rehabilitate, extend, and operate the expressway. Rehabilitation work started in May of that year, with heavy traffic brought by construction work. Prior to its rehabilitation, the South Luzon Expressway section from Alabang to Calamba was mostly an expressway with a grass median and two lanes per direction. The widening of the Alabang Viaduct from three to four lanes per direction, a phase known as the SLEX Toll Road 1, was completed on November 11, 2008.During the construction of Skyway Stage 2 from 2009 to 2011, there were traffic disruptions on the Bicutan–Alabang section. The use of thesosrobahumethod to build and position the bridge piers helped mitigate these disruptions. Rehabilitation work on SLEX Toll Road 2 was finished in June 2009, resulting in the expansion of the Alabang–Santa Rosa section to eight lanes (four lanes per direction), similar to an AmericanInterstate Highway, and the Santa Rosa–Calamba section to six lanes (three lanes per direction).
One year and six months after the Alabang Viaduct was rehabilitated and widened and eleven months after the completion of rehabilitation and modernization of the expressway's Alabang–Calamba section, the operation and maintenance of the expressway was transferred from the government-ownedPhilippine National Construction Corporation(PNCC) to South Luzon Tollways Corporation (SLTC) and Manila Toll Expressway Systems (MATES) on May 2, 2010.
The expressway became connected with STAR Tollway when construction works of Toll Road 3 project reached Santo Tomas Exit in 2009, making the exit the southern terminus of the expressway since then. The new Calamba Toll Plaza A and B and Ayala Greenfield Estate toll plazas were also commissioned in the same year.Toll Road 3, also known as the SLEX-STAR Tollway link, was then inaugurated on June 15, 2010, byPresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyoand opened to the public six months later on December 15, 2010, during the administration of her successorBenigno Aquino III, with the name Alabang–Calamba–Santo Tomas Expressway (ACTEX).
MTD relinquished its stake in operating and maintaining SLEX toSan Miguel Corporation(SMC) in January 2012. To decongest traffic, theSLEX Elevated Extension, originally known as Skyway Extension project, was constructed along the shoulder of the expressway in Muntinlupa from 2019 to 2021 and has connected the expressway's segment south of the Alabang Viaduct to Skyway Stage 2.
In December 2022, the implementation of the Seamless Southern Tollways project began on SLEX to simplify the toll collection process to a single payment upon exit. Additional toll plazas were built at interchanges from Canlubang to Santo Tomas, while the Calamba and Ayala Greenfield Estates toll plazas were converted into pass-through lanes and eventually demolished in 2024.In 2023, an expansion project began to widen the expressway's segment south of the SLEX Elevated Extension ramps to six (2x6) lanes per direction, necessitating the felling of 8,766 trees along the route.The project also involves the expansion of 20 bridges along SLEX and the demolition of the Calamba and Ayala Greenfield Estates toll plazas,with completion targeted for December 2024.It is expected to be complete by June 2025.In addition, the Ayala Greenfield Interchange in Calamba broke ground on October 14, 2024, and construction is expected to begin in December 2024.
TheSouth Luzon Expressway Toll Road 4, also referred to asToll Road 4(TR4), is a 66.74-kilometer (41.47 mi)extension of South Luzon Expressway from Calamba (near its boundary with Santo Tomas, Batangas) toLucena. Construction is divided into five segments, with one additional extension to Mayao in Lucena on the revised project outline.The extension project is implemented by theToll Regulatory Boardand will be operated by the SMC SLEX, Inc. (formerly South Luzon Tollway Corporation). The extension would decongest the existing national road between Santo Tomas and Lucena, and provide a modern alternate route for travellers from Quezon to theBicol Region.Right-of-wayacquisition is ongoing as of 2019, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 26, 2019, alongside the beginning of construction.Right of way has been secured for the initial three segments from Calamba to Tiaong, with ongoing efforts to acquire land for the remaining stretch up to Lucena. The expressway's starting point has been relocated near the Ayala Greenfield Golf Course after several alignment adjustments prompted by right-of-way challenges. This section is designed initially with two lanes per direction, with potential for future expansion to 3–4 lanes.
The expressway is expected to partially open in 2026 or 2027.
TheSouth Luzon Expressway Toll Road 5, also referred to asToll Road 5(TR5), will be the extension of South Luzon Expressway from Mayao,Lucenato the vicinity of Port of Matnog inMatnog,Sorsogon. The total length of the extension would be approximately 417 kilometers (259 mi).It will be four-lane divided toll road with 28 interchanges and eight segments.It aims to decongestAndaya HighwayandPan-Philippine Highway, cut travel time from Manila toNagaby two to three hours, and to Matnog by six hours. When completed, it will become the longest expressway in the Philippines.
On June 29, 2020, the Toll Regulatory Board issued a resolution to declare this project a Toll Road upon the request of, and based on the proposal submitted by the joint venture (JV) of the Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC) and San Miguel Holdings Corporation (SMHC).On August 25, 2020, San Miguel Corporation thru South Luzon Toll Road 5 Expressway Inc. announced they will invest this project alongside the Pasig River Expressway with a cost of₱122 billionin order to boost the economy in Luzon.The original plan for the expressway's extension was the Quezon-Bicol Expressway (QBEX or QUBEX), which was supposed to be an extension of the SLEX from Pagbilao toSan Fernando,Camarines Sur. The 2017 proposal would have been apublic-private partnership(PPP), with a total length of 180 kilometers (110 mi), and the 2019 proposal, which would have been 220 kilometers (140 mi), was supposed to be funded through the General Appropriations Act (GAA).However, the proposal was removed from the priority projects list in 2022.
On June 3, 2022, theDepartment of Transportationand San Miguel Corporation signed a Supplemental Toll Operations Agreement (STOA) for SLEX Toll Road 5, which was approved by PresidentRodrigo Duterte24 days later.
Other planned expansion projects in the SMC–PNCC joint venture pipeline with connections to either SLEX and the Skyway system include:
Previously employingclosedandbarrier toll systems, the South Luzon Expressway fully employs aclosed roadsystem, wherein the toll fee is charged based on vehicle class and the distance travelled from the entry to exit point. The expressway's toll system is integrated with theSouth Metro Manila Skyway ProjectandMuntinlupa–Cavite Expressway(MCX).
Toll collection is done upon exit at either SLEX,STAR Tollway, or MCX, or at Skyway Main toll plaza in Muntinlupa, as part ofSan Miguel Corporation's Seamless Southern Tollways program.Access between the exits on the Canlubang–Calamba segment and on the northernmost segment betweenMagallanesandSalesinterchanges remain toll-free.
The expressway fully implements anelectronic toll collection(ETC) system, the Autosweep RFID, usingRFIDtechnology,and the system formerly used "E-Pass", which usestranspondertechnology. The ETC system is shared by the Skyway, STAR Tollway,NAIAX, MCX and TPLEX. Cash payments are still accepted although ETC is currently being maximized.
The toll rates by vehicle class are as follows:
The South Luzon Expressway currently has nine service areas, with four on the northbound and five on the southbound. All existing service areas occupy large land areas and have restaurants and retail space. The service areas also provide ETC reloading for Autosweep RFID users.
The South Luzon Expressway also has lay-bys, or emergency parking areas where motorists can stop for safety checks on their vehicles and other emergencies.
Exits are numbered by kilometer posts, withRizal ParkinManiladesignated askilometer zero. Exits are mostly named and numbered, but exit numbers appear only after the Alabang Exit. There is a discrepancy in mileage, with kilometer 24 being kilometer 23 on the Manila Toll Expressway Systems (MATES)–maintained segments of the expressway. No tolls are paid on the section north of the Nichols Toll Plaza.