South Luzon Tollways Corporation will raise the toll on the South Luzon Expressway in the Philippines by 250% from June this year.

The new toll rates was given the go-ahead by the government after the operator complied with obligations to carry out a major repair and upgrade of the road.

South Luzon Tollways president Isaac David said that the higher fee will inevitably result in lower volumes of motorists plying the newly rehabilitated expressway.

“But the volume will eventually go back to normal figures,” said David. “The people will later realise that it is more cost effective to pay the toll than incur higher fuel costs and longer travel time.”

The new expressway will reduce the travel time from Alabang to Calamba by 30 minutes from the one hour the journey usually takes.

South Luzon received a 25-year concession in 2006 to operate the expressway, which is estimated to have cost PHP11bn ($238m).