Regulator defers higher SLEX toll rates

THE Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has approved higher toll rates at South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) starting January 1 next year but the operator of the expressway said that it deferred implementation until March as “goodwill” from the government.

During a briefing, Isaac David, the president of South Luzon Tollway Corp. (SLTC), told reporters that the regulator approved higher tolls from Alabang to Calamaba, Laguna to Santo Tomas, Batangas, starting 12:01 of January 1, 2011.

The new toll rates for the 36-kilometer SLEX are P3.03 a kilometer for Class 1 vehicles, P6.06 for Class 2 vehicles and P9.09 for Class 3 vehicles.

This means that SLTC will be charging P109 from Alabang to Santo Tomas for Class 1, P218 for Class 2 and P328 for Class 3.
The old toll rates for SLEX were P0.76 a kilometer for Class 1 vehicles, P1.5 for Class 2 vehicles and P2.25 for Class 3 vehicles.

SLTC had been granted a new toll rate from Alabang to Calamba, which was scheduled for implementation in June.

In November, the Supreme Court junked a petition of Gov. Joey Salceda of Albay seeking to stop the implementation of an increase in toll rates at SLEX.

According to David, SLTC estimated foregone revenues of P1.13 billion for 180 days because of delay in the implementation of higher tolls at SLEX.

He, however, said that the SLEX operator’s management and lenders approved to delay the implementation of higher fees by January and instead will give discounted rates.

“It’s a tough decision. But, we have to [generate] goodwill because we were granted an approval and [to show] sensitivity [t] public clamor [for maintaining the old rates],” David explained.

He said that the discounted rates will cost SLTC P75 million from January to March 2011.

By January, the discounted toll rates at SLEX are P2.68 a kilometer for Class 1 vehicles or P97 from Alabang to Santo Tomas, P5.37 for Class 2 vehicles or P193 and P8.05 or P290 for Class 3 vehicles.

SLTC had widened the 1.2-km Alabang viaduct and the 27-km stretch of SLEX from Alabang to Calamba.

The formerly 29-km, four-lane SLEX, which starts at the approach to the Alabang viaduct in Muntinlupa City and ends at Barangay (viilage) Turbina in Calamba, Laguna, has been widened to eight lanes from the viaduct to Santa Rosa, Laguna and to six lanes from Santa Rosa to Turbina.

SLTC also extended SLEX by another 8km from Turbina to Santo Tomas, Batangas, thus linking the highway to Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, the main thoroughfare leading to the international seaport of Batangas. –Darwin G. Amojelar Senior, Reporter, Manila Times