Reaching the farthest parts of Quezon via the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) could soon be easier as the SLEX-Toll Road 4 extension project might finally begin.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will soon begin work on the road extension project this month.
According to Quezon Governor David Suarez, the DPWH is already finalizing the groundbreaking schedule that will start from the town of Santo Tomas in Batangas, and end all the way to Lucena City in Quezon.
The 57-km project will be divided into five sections: a 10.58-km portion that will connect Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Makban, Laguna; a 12.2-km road from Makban to San Pablo City; an 8.1-km extension to Tiaong, Quezon; a 14.4-km link road to Candelaria; and a 12.3-km road to Lucena City.
The Arroyo (2010) and Aquino (2015) administrations have broken ground on the project before, however, right-of-way (ROW) disputes with local land owners caused long delays, preventing construction from getting started.
More recently, the ROW disagreements have all been resolved after Gov. Suarez called for a meeting with the 699 landowners from Tayabas City, and the towns of Sariaya, Candelaria and Tiaong in August last year. With it, the disputes between the landowners and the DPWH have been ironed out, allowing the construction of the road project to begin this February.
