Sto. Tomas, Batangas to Tiaong, Quezon travel time expected at 30 minutes once SLEX TR4 opens in December

Travel time between Sto. Tomas, Batangas, and Tiaong, Quezon, is set to drop from two hours to just 30 minutes by the end of 2026, thanks to the upcoming partial opening of the South Luzon Expressway Toll Road 4 (SLEX TR4).

Packages A through C of the tollway are expected to open between November and December 2026, fulfilling President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to improve national transport efficiency.

On the website of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Transportation Secretary Giovanni "Banoy" Lopez confirmed that the initial three packages will open within the year, while full completion of the SLEX TR4 will slash the overall journey from Batangas to Lucena, Quezon, from four hours down to just one.

“By the end of this year, we will inaugurate and start using TR4,” Lopez said. “Our target for operations is around November or December. The usual travel time across the entire route is four hours, but once fully open, it will take just one hour.”

A joint initiative of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the project is projected to accommodate roughly 17,000 motorists daily.

Lopez noted that the infrastructure milestone is expected to be highlighted during the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) as one of the administration’s flagship road sector accomplishments.

-Paraluman News