Traveling to South Luzon was once a big challenge. With very limited road networks, going from Metro Manila to places like Laguna and Quezon can take around 3-6 hours, and even more should traffic conditions worsen. These inconveniences have not only affected the experience of people traveling, but have also hampered the economic development, tourism, and industry in the area.
However, due to the recent road projects that have been developed across the country during the past few years, these new roads have helped make traveling to the Southern Tagalog area a much faster and more comfortable experience. With the government increasing its focus on developing new road and infrastructure projects, some of the biggest road developments in the South are being constructed. These aim to lessen travel time, as well as help cities along the area to develop their economy and industry. This is one of the most important upcoming road developments in the South.
Southern Luzon Expressway Toll Road 4
The Southern Luzon Expressway has become one of the country’s most important road networks by serving as the primary highway that allows people from North Luzon and Metro Manila access to places like Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas. Quezon greatly reduced travel time, along with becoming a major contributor to economic growth and the development of infrastructure and industry.
Having constantly improved and expanded over the past few years, the upcoming SLEX Toll Road 4 project is another step towards providing the most expansive road network in the Southern Tagalog area.
SLEX Toll Road 4, or TR4 for short, is a road development project that aims to connect the provinces of Laguna, Batangas, and Quezon to a single road network. As part of the SLEX Phase 2 Project, TR4 is a 58.6km long highway with 2×2 lanes that have 7 interchanges spanning from Laguna to Quezon. Along with connecting cities to each other, this project will decongest the traffic in the three provinces and function as an alternative to the Maharlika Highway.
The 7 interchanges are located in Sto. Tomas, Makban, San Pablo, Tiaong, Candelaria, Sariaya, and Lucena. These interchanges are intersected with some of the most important road networks in their respective cities, making them more accessible and convenient. One example would be the San Pablo interchange, which intersects to M. Leonor St. This new interchange would be able to lessen the travel time to Laguna from 3-4 hours to 1 hour, putting it closer to Metro Manila. This shortened travel time can help turn Laguna into a prime location for new commercial, residential, and industrial projects. This can definitely improve the economy of Laguna and the surrounding provinces.
NextAsia San Pablo
When it comes to traveling to San Pablo, TR4 provides the best and fastest route going to the City of Seven Lakes, allowing you to reach some of the most beautiful locations and access some of the city’s upcoming projects which include commercial centers, businesses like call centers, and residential projects like NextAsia San Pablo, which focuses on providing quality homes for young families.
Expected to be completed in the next few years, this ambitious road development project is expected to not only make traveling to the South a much faster and more convenient experience but also allow the economy of the respective provinces to grow exponentially.
Key Takeaway
With the country experiencing a huge spike in road and infrastructure development, provinces like Laguna, Batangas, and Quezon are becoming some of the biggest beneficiaries of these projects. With SLEX TR4 looming on the horizon, traveling to Southern Tagalog will become a much better experience than ever before.