For those who have already experienced travelling to Bicol or to the Port of Matnog in Sorsogon, riding through the region is a challenge with the many diversions and crowded national highways.
Some Philippine or Luzon loopers not that some of the worst paved roads can be found on the way to Bicol. Andaya Highway frequently comes up on most people's lists as one of the worst, often compared to the craters on the moon. So far, there is no smooth expressway in south Luzon to bypass it all like TPLEX.
That may all change in a few years. In a recent social media post by Albay governor, Al Francis Bichara, he hints that an expressway is planned that would stretch from Lucena, Quezon all the way to Matnog, Sorsogon.
The plan calls for a 4-lane toll road that starts from the end of SLEx in Lucena City. The toll road will be 420 kilometers long and have 28 interchanges. Once completed, it could significantly cut travel time to the southernmost point of Luzon, easing access to eastern Visayas via Roll On Roll Off (RORO) ferry.
