South Luzon Expressway

R-3 South Luzon Expressway
Map of expressways in Luzon, with the South Luzon Expressway in orange
Route information
Part of AH26
Maintained by Skyway Operations and Maintenance Corporation[a] and Manila Toll Expressway Systems, Inc.[b]
Length	49.562 km (30.796 mi) Operational sections only Skyway At-Grade (Magallanes to Alabang) – 13.43 km (8.35 mi)[3] Toll Road 1 (Alabang Viaduct) – 1.242 km (0.772 mi)[4] Toll Road 2 (Filinvest to Calamba) – 27.289 km (16.957 mi)[4] Toll Road 3 (Calamba to Sto. Tomas) – 7.601 km (4.723 mi)[4]
Existed	1969–present
Component highways	R-3 R-3 AH 26 (E2) from Makati to Calamba
Restrictions	South of Sales Interchange: show Prohibited on expressway Motorcycles below 400cc Bicycles Tricycles Animal drawn vehicles
Major junctions
North end	AH 26 (N1) (EDSA) in Makati
	N63 (Dr. Santos Avenue) in Parañaque and Muntinlupa N1 (Manila South Road) in Muntinlupa E2 (Muntinlupa–Cavite Expressway) in Muntinlupa N65 (Governor's Drive) in Carmona N420 (Santa Rosa–Tagaytay Road) in Santa Rosa AH 26 (N1) (Maharlika Highway) in Calamba
South end	E2 (STAR Tollway) in Santo Tomas
Location
Provinces	Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, and Metro Manila
Major cities	Biñan, Cabuyao, Calamba, Makati, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Pasay, San Pedro, Santa Rosa, Santo Tomas, and Taguig
Towns	Carmona
Highway system
Roads in the Philippines Highways Expressways List

The South Luzon Expressway (SLEX),^[c] signed as E2 of the Philippine expressway network and R-3 of the Metro Manila arterial road network, is a limited-access toll expressway that connects Metro Manila to the provinces in the Calabarzon region on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. The expressway has a length of 46.9 km (29.1 miles), traveling from its northern terminus at the Magallanes Interchange to its southern terminus at Santo Tomas, Batangas, connecting it to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road. A portion of the expressway from the Magallanes Interchange to the Calamba Exit is part of Asian Highway 26 of the Asian highway network.

The expressway also serves a major utility corridor, carrying various high voltage overhead power lines and an oil pipeline. Notable power lines using the expressway's right of way for most or part of their route are the Sucat–Paco–Araneta–Balintawak transmission line and the Bay–Biñan transmission line. The Magallanes–Alabang section of the expressway was also used to carry the Batangas–Pandacan oil pipeline.

The South Luzon Expressway was built during the late 1960s as part of the government's plan to develop the areas adjacent to Metro Manila, with SLEX serving the south.^[5] In 1995, the expressway's section from Magallanes to Alabang began to be rehabilitated and became part of the Skyway System as its at-grade section, as the elevated Skyway was being built above it up to Bicutan. From 2006 to 2009, the expressway underwent rehabilitation, expanding the Alabang Viaduct as well as the section from Alabang to Calamba and connecting it to the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road in Santo Tomas, Batangas by June 2010.

Route description[]

Skyway At-Grade southbound below Skyway, south of Sucat Interchange

SLEX southbound in Carmona

The South Luzon Expressway cuts southwards from Manila up to the provinces in Calabarzon. The expressway consists of two sections. The first is a 13.43-kilometer (8.35 mi) segment of SLEX underneath the Skyway from Magallanes Interchange in Makati to Alabang Exit in Muntinlupa, called the Skyway At-Grade.^[6] The remaining 36.13-kilometer (22.45 mi) segment from Alabang to Santo Tomas, Batangas is part of the South Luzon Tollway segment, also called the Alabang–Calamba–Santo Tomas Expressway (ACTEX). 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),^[3][7] 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 the Philippine National Construction Corporation and the San Miguel Corporation-backed PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada Tbk group of Indonesia. In addition, the Alabang Viaduct is also known as SLEX Toll Road 1 (TR1), while the section from Filinvest Exit to Calamba Exit in Calamba, Laguna is also known as SLEX Toll Road 2 (TR2) and the section from Calamba Exit to Santo Tomas Exit is also known as SLEX Toll Road 3 (TR3).^{[4][8][9][10]}

The South Luzon Expressway continues the Osmeña Highway past the Magallanes Interchange, where it also meets Circumferential Road 4, particularly EDSA. The expressway runs through 49.56 km (30.80 miles), spanning the cities of Makati, Pasay, Taguig, Parañaque, and Muntinlupa in Metro Manila and the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas. From its northern terminus at Magallanes Interchange, the expressway follows a straight path southeast in parallel to the PNR South Main Line until the Bicutan Exit, where it slightly bends to the south towards the Alabang Exit. Two service roads run on either sides of the expressway from Sales Interchange to Alabang Exit.

At the Alabang Exit, South Luzon Expressway ascends to the Alabang Viaduct,^[11] a 1.242-kilometer (0.772 mi), eight-lane viaduct over the Manila South Road through Alabang. After its descent at Filinvest Exit, SLEX narrows to four lanes and mostly parallels the Manila South Road in Muntinlupa and northwestern Laguna, passing through the Susana Heights Exit connecting it to the Muntinlupa–Cavite Expressway.^[12] 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, South Luzon Expressway narrows into 3 lanes per direction, having 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. After the Calamba Exit, the expressway narrows to two lanes per direction, without exits and with bridges built with wide shoulders to accommodate future widening to three lanes. It follows a curved route paralleling the Pan-Philippine Highway (Maharlika Highway) from Calamba to Santo Tomas, Batangas. The expressway then curves as it enters Santo Tomas before it ends at kilometer 57.5, continuing towards Batangas City as the STAR Tollway.

History[]

SLEX near the original Alabang Toll Plaza in 1976

Planning and construction[]

The South Luzon Expressway was originally built during the late 1960s as the Manila South Diversion Road, South Superhighway, or Manila South Expressway as newer roads used to travel from and to Manila.^[5] Located then in the province of Rizal, construction started in 1967 and was completed on December 16, 1969. It is the second roadway project completed by the Philippine National Construction Corporation, after North Luzon Expressway.^[13]

In 1976, the expressway was extended by another 29 kilometers (18 mi) from Alabang up to Calamba, Laguna. The project included the 1.2-kilometer-long (0.75 mi) viaduct which crosses over Alabang called the Alabang Viaduct.

In 1982, South Superhighway (from Magallanes to Calamba) was renamed to Dr. Jose P. Rizal Highway, after the Philippine national hero and Laguna native, Dr. José Rizal, by virtue of Batas Pambansa Blg. 264.^[14] In 1989, it was renamed to President Sergio Osmeña Sr. Highway, after the Commonwealth President Sergio Osmeña, by virtue of Republic Act No. 6760.^[15] The Act was amended through Republic Act No. 7625 in 1992 to rename its portion from kilometer 28.387 in San Pedro, Laguna southwards to Dr. Jose P. Rizal Highway.^[16]

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.^[17][18] 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.^[3][13]

Expansion and rehabilitation[]

SLEX Calamba segment in 2007, prior to the completion of rehabilitation work

Rehabilitation work on SLEX started in 2006, 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 2 lanes per direction. Alabang Viaduct was widened from 3 to 4 lanes per direction, and the construction of Skyway Stage 2 from 2009 to 2011 caused traffic disruptions on the Bicutan—Alabang section (though mitigated by the use of the sosrobahu method to build and position the bridge piers). Rehabilitation work was finished in June 2009, expanding the Alabang–Santa Rosa section to 8 lanes (4 lanes per direction) and the Santa Rosa–Calamba section to 6 lanes (3 lanes per direction).^[19][20]

On May 2, 2010, the operation and maintenance of the expressway was transferred from the government-owned Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC) to South Luzon Tollways Corporation (SLTC) and Manila Toll Expressway Systems (MATES).

An extension of the expressway from Calamba to Santo Tomas was completed in June 2010 and opened on December 15, 2010, with the name Alabang–Calamba–Santo Tomas Expressway (ACTEX) and eventually connecting South Luzon Expressway to the STAR Tollway.^[21][22]

Future[]

Toll Road 4[]

The SLEX Toll Road 4, also referred to as Toll Road 4 (TR4), is a 66.74-kilometer (41.47 mi)^[23] extension of South Luzon Expressway from Calamba (near its boundary with Santo Tomas, Batangas) to Lucena. Construction will be divided into five segments, with one additional extension to Mayao in Lucena on the revised project outline.^[4][24] The extension project is implemented by the Toll Regulatory Board and 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 the Bicol Region. Right of way has been acquired for the first three segments between Santo Tomas and Tiaong, and ongoing for the remainder between Tiaong, Candelaria, and Tayabas. Right of way acquisition is ongoing as of 2019, and the groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 26, 2019, alongside the beginning of construction.^[1] The future expressway will start near the Ayala Greenfield Estate toll plaza in Calamba rather than in Santo Tomas after various project alignment revisions due to right-of-way issues. This part is 2 lanes per direction (with possible expansion to 3-4 lanes).

The expressway is expected to partially open in 2022.^[25]

Toll Road 5[]

The SLEX Toll Road 5, also referred to as Toll Road 5 (TR5), will be the extension of South Luzon Expressway to Matnog, Sorsogon from Barangay Mayao, Lucena. The total length of the extension would be approximately 417 kilometers (259 mi).^[2] The extension aims to decongest Andaya Highway and Pan-Philippine Highway, cut travel time from Manila to Naga by 2 to 3 hours, and to Matnog by 6 hours. 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).^[26] On August 25, 2020, San Miguel Corporation thru SLTC announced they will invest this project alongside the Pasig River Expressway with a cost of ₱122 billion in order to boost the economy in Luzon.^[27] This project is separate from Quezon–Bicol Expressway, another proposed expressway between Quezon and Bicol Region.^[28]

Other future plans[]

Other planned expansion projects in the SMC-PNCC joint venture pipeline with connections to either SLEX and the Skyway system include:^[29]

Toll[]

Calamba Toll Plaza B

Nichols Toll Plaza (southbound)

Toll plazas of SLEX

South Luzon Expressway employs closed and barrier toll systems. The expressway's toll system is integrated with the South Metro Manila Skyway Project and Muntinlupa–Cavite Expressway (MCX).^[31] The toll fee is charged based on the kilometers travelled from the entry to exit point and vehicle class. However, toll fees are not charged on exits between Calamba and Ayala Greenfield Estate toll plazas, such as the Canlubang, Batino, and Calamba Exits, all in Calamba, Laguna, as well as the expressway's section between Magallanes and Sales Interchanges.

As of January 11, 2021, the expressway fully implements an electronic toll collection (ETC) system, the Autosweep RFID, using RFID technology,^[32] and the system formerly used "E-Pass", which uses transponder technology. The ETC system is shared by the Skyway, STAR Tollway, NAIAX, Muntinlupa–Cavite Expressway and TPLEX.

The toll rates by vehicle class are as follows:

Services[]

Service areas[]

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Caltex SLEX Southbound, Biñan

Petron Km. 44 Southbound, Calamba

Service areas of SLEX

The South Luzon Expressway currently has 9 service areas, with 4 on the northbound and 5 on the southbound. Most of the service areas occupy large land areas and have restaurants and retail space, with the exception of two service areas between Cabuyao and Silangan Exits, which are simply Petron gas stations, both opened in 2016, with no other shops other than a San Mig Food Ave convenience store and car repair services. The service areas also provide ETC reloading for Autosweep RFID users.

Lay-bys[]

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[]

Exits are numbered by kilometer posts, with Rizal Park in Manila designated as kilometer zero. Exits are mostly named and numbered, but exit numbers appear only after Alabang Exit. There is a discrepancy with mileage, with kilometer 24 being kilometer 23 rather on the Manila Toll Expressway Systems (MATES) maintained segments of the expressway. No tolls are paid on Canlubang, Batino, and Calamba Exits (exits 47, 49, and 50, respectively), as well as the section north of the Nichols Toll Plaza. 

Region	Province	City/Municipality	km	mi	Exit	Name	Destinations	Notes
Metro Manila	Makati		7	4.3			AH 26 (N1) (EDSA) – Cubao, Pasay, Manila	Magallanes Interchange; north end of AH26 overlap; continues north as N145 (Osmeña Highway)
							San Gregorio Street	Southbound access only
							Magallanes Avenue	Southbound access only
					Shell Magallanes (southbound)
	Pasay – Taguig boundary		8	5.0			AH 26 (E2) (Skyway)	Magallanes Exit of Skyway; southbound exit and northbound entrance
	Pasay		9	5.6			N192 (Sales Road) / Lawton Avenue – Airport, Villamor Airbase, BGC	Partial cloverleaf interchange, part of Sales Interchange
					North end of expressway restrictions
			10.15	6.31	Nichols toll plaza B (northbound only)
			10.3	6.4	Nichols toll plaza A (northbound only)
			10.9	6.8		Merville	C-5 Road Extension / West Service Road – Merville	Southbound exit only
			11	6.8	Nichols toll plaza A (southbound only)
			11.1	6.9	Nichols toll plaza B (southbound only)
	Pasay – Taguig boundary		11.5– 11.7	7.1– 7.3		C-5	N11 (Carlos P. Garcia Avenue) – Pasig	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Parañaque		14– 14.4	8.7– 8.9		Bicutan	Doña Soledad Avenue – Bicutan	Diamond interchange
			15	9.3			Skyway	Former northbound exit and southbound entrance (1998–2011)
	Parañaque – Muntinlupa boundary		17.7– 18.0	11.0– 11.2		Sucat	N63 (Dr. A. Santos Avenue) – Sucat, BF Homes	Diamond interchange
	Muntinlupa		19.4	12.1		Alabang	East Service Road	Temporary northbound entrance during the construction of Skyway Extension Project
			19.7	12.2			AH 26 (E2) (Skyway)	Hillsborough off-ramp of Skyway; former northbound exit and southbound entrance (2011–2021)[34]
			19.6	12.2		Alabang	East Service Road	Temporary northbound entrance to SLEX and on to Skyway during the construction of Skyway Extension Project; closed prior to the demolition of Skyway's Hillsborough northbound on-ramp
			21.3	13.2		South Station	South Station, Filinvest City	Southbound exit only; considered as part of Alabang Exit on the toll matrix
			21.3	13.2		Alabang	N1 (Manila South Road) / N411 (Alabang–Zapote Road) / (Montillano Street) – Alabang	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; northbound entrance temporarily closed due to the construction of Skyway Extension Project[35]
			21.3	13.2	North end of Alabang Viaduct Maintenance transition from Skyway Operations and Maintenance Corporation (SOMCO) to Manila Toll Expressway Systems, Inc. (MATES)
					Manila South Expressway: Alabang toll plaza (1969–1976; demolished)
			21.4	13.3			Skyway	Temporary southbound entrance[36] and former northbound exit[37] while Skyway Extension is under construction[38][39][40]
			21.5	13.4			Skyway	Future permanent northbound exit to be built on the shoulder of Alabang Viaduct[41]
			22.4	13.9	South end of Alabang Viaduct
			22.4– 23	13.9– 14	23	Filinvest	Filinvest City	Trumpet interchange
			23	14		Alabang	N1 (Manila South Road) – Alabang, Bayanan	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; toll booths of southbound access moved to dedicated booths from the southbound entrance booths of Filinvest Exit
			23.5– 23.6	14.6– 14.7			Skyway Extension	Susana Heights Exit of Skyway; northbound exit and future southbound entrance[41][42][43]
			23.7	14.7	Caltex service area (northbound) (demolished)
			24.7	15.3	Shell service area (southbound)
			25.5– 26.45	15.8– 16.44	26	MCX / Susana Heights	E2 (MCX) – Daang Hari Susana Heights, Muntinlupa	Hybrid T interchange and trumpet interchange
Calabarzon	Laguna	San Pedro	27	17	27	San Pedro	San Pedro, La Marea	Southbound exit and entrance only; future northbound access
			29	18	Petron service area (southbound)
			29	18	Caltex service area (northbound)
		Biñan	32	20	31	Southwoods	Southwoods City, Biñan	Partial cloverleaf or folded diamond interchange
	Cavite	Carmona	34	21	33	Carmona	N65 (Governor's Drive) – Carmona, Dasmariñas, Biñan	Trumpet interchange
	Laguna	Biñan	35	22	Shell service area (northbound)
			36	22	36	Greenfield City/Unilab (Mamplasan)	CALAX, Greenfield City, Unilab, LIIP, SRIT	Partial cloverleaf or folded diamond interchange; exit leads to Mamplasan Roundabout towards CALAX
			37	23	Caltex service area (southbound)
		Santa Rosa	38	24	38	Santa Rosa	N420 (Santa Rosa–Tagaytay Road) – Santa Rosa, Greenfield City, Tagaytay	Partial cloverleaf or folded diamond interchange
			40	25	Total (SLEX) service area (northbound)
			42.2	26.2	41	Eton City (Malitlit)	Eton City, Malitlit, Greenfield City, Tagaytay	Double right-in and right-out interchange[e]
		Cabuyao	43	27	43	Cabuyao	Pulo–Diezmo Road – Cabuyao, Sta. Elena City	Partial cloverleaf or folded diamond interchange
		Calamba	44	27	Petron KM 44 Southbound
			44	27	Petron KM 44 Northbound
			45	28	45	Silangan	Silangan, Carmeltown	Partial cloverleaf or folded diamond interchange
			46	29		Equus City		Right-in/right out exit at northbound still fenced
					Calamba toll plaza A (pass thru for northbound vehicles)
					Calamba toll plaza B (southbound only)
			47	29	47	Canlubang (Mayapa)	Mayapa–Canlubang Cadre Road – Canlubang, Mayapa	Partial cloverleaf or folded diamond interchange
			49	30	49	Batino	Batino, CPIP, Tagaytay Highlands, Ciudad de Calamba	Southbound exit and entrance only
			50	31	50	Calamba (Turbina-Real)	AH 26 (N1) (Maharlika Highway) – Turbina, Real, Batangas, Los Baños	Half diamond interchange (north half) & partial cloverleaf or folded diamond interchange (south half); south end of AH26 overlap
			52.64	32.71	Ayala Greenfield Estate toll plaza SB (southbound only)
			52.8	32.8	Ayala Greenfield Estate toll plaza NB (northbound only)
			55	34			SLEX Toll Road 4	Connection with the future SLEX Toll Road 4; trumpet interchange[f]
	Batangas	Santo Tomas	57.5	35.7		Santo Tomas	AH 26 (N1) (Maharlika Highway) – Santo Tomas	Partial cloverleaf or folded diamond interchange; continues south as E2 (STAR Tollway)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Closed/former       Incomplete access       Concurrency terminus       Tolled       Unopened

Toll Road 4[]

Province	City/Municipality	km	mi	Exit	Name	Destinations	Notes
Laguna	Calamba	55	34		Santo Tomas[f]	E2 (SLEX) – Manila, Batangas City	Connection with the existing route of SLEX
Batangas	Santo Tomas	66	41		Makban	Alaminos, Bay, Calauan	Diamond interchange;[44] This will also provide access to the MakBan Geothermal Plant
Laguna	Alaminos			No major junctions
	San Pablo	77	48		San Pablo	San Pablo	Trumpet interchange;[44] connection to AH 26 (N1) (Maharlika Highway) via 3-kilometer (1.9 mi) access road
Quezon	Tiaong	85	53		Tiaong	AH 26 (N1) (Maharlika Highway) – Tiaong, Dolores	Trumpet interchange[44]
	Candelaria	100	62		Candelaria	AH 26 (N1) (Maharlika Highway) / (Candelaria Bypass Road) – Candelaria, San Juan	Trumpet interchange;[44] connection via access road
				Candelaria Spur road toll plaza
	Sariaya				Sariaya	AH 26 (N1) (Maharlika Highway) – Sariaya	Trumpet interchange;[44] connection via access road
	Tayabas	111	69		Tayabas	Calumpang, Tayabas	Trumpet interchange[44]
	Lucena				Lucena	AH 26 (N1) (Lucena Diversion Road) – Lucena
					Mayao	AH 26 (N1) (Lucena Diversion Road) – Lucena, Pagbilao	Future eastern terminus and future SLEX Toll Road 5 connection to Matnog, Sorsogon
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Unopened

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to South Luzon Expressway.

• South Luzon Tollway Corporation
• Skyway O&M Corporation