Last year, officials of the Department of Public Highways (DPWH) made a pledge to San Pedrenses: the much-anticipated northbound exit to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) in San Pedro City, Laguna will be opened before 2024 ends.
Fast forward to February 2025 – 2025! – and San Pedrenses are now waiting eagerly as to when the exit will finally be opened, ending the decades-long hardship of motorists and commuters seeking an easy way out to Metro Manila.
It now appears that the curse of the San Pedro northbound bridge has still not been “exorcised,” as DPWH officials now claim that the ball is now on San Miguel Corporation (SMC) to complete other necessary works to finally open the exit.
Near-completion
In a letter sent to the OpinYon Laguna news team on January 15, DPWH-Calabarzon Assistant Regional Director and Officer-in-Charge Joel Limpengco reported the "bridge component" of the San Pedro City northbound exit has been completed by December 18, 2022.
Meanwhile, all but one the seven contracts or phases needed to complete the project have been completed.
This "incomplete" phase, comprising of miscellaneous structures accounting for "the remaining 26.72 percent" of the project, has been expected to be complete by last January.
Now up to SMC
Assuming that this last phase of the project has been completed on schedule, what’s keeping authorities from finally opening the northbound exit?
“Despite the technical completion of the San Pedro Northbound Interchange, it remains closed to ther public until the installation of essential Toll Plaza components by SMC-SLEX (San Miguel Corporation),” Limpengco explained in the letter.
And the most damning part of that letter? The DPWH's tacit admission that "as present, no specific opening date has been scheduled."
When?
As of press time, OpinYon Laguna has reached out to officials of San Miguel Corporation for their side of the issue.
It’s been almost two months since that letter, and there has been no official word yet on when, finally, San Pedrenses will finally enjoy hassle-free travel to Metro Manila.
While there have been some indications that the opening of the northbound exit is now imminent – most prominently a sign near the San Pedro Gateway Park directing motorists to “SLEX,” the one question that every motorist still suffering from heavy traffic along the National Highway is: “Ano na?”
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