SMC bent on opening southbound Skyway Extension in Q3–ang
SAN Miguel Corp. (SMC) is targeting to complete the construction of the southbound section of the Skyway Extension within the third quarter, its chief said on Wednesday.
Ramon S. Ang, the company’s president, said his group is bullish about meeting its target deadline, noting that certain portions of the right of way will be closed for the construction.
The Hillsborough off-ramp of the elevated southbound Skyway will be closed to traffic permanently starting April 19 at 6 a.m. As such, vehicles coming from the elevated Skyway will now exit at the steel ramp in Alabang. Heavy traffic is expected in this area.
“Unfortunately, there is no way around it, we need to close this portion to secure the staging ground for equipment and workers and to accelerate construction and ensure the safety of our motorists. I appeal to our motorists again for their patience and understanding. We expect heavy traffic to persist for the duration of the construction, but rest assured we will do everything we can to help mitigate this, and complete the project within the timetable,” Ang said.
Alternatively, motorists coming from Pasay, Makati, Manila, and Quezon City bound for the South Luzon Expressway may keep left to the Steel Ramp towards their destination. Those bound for Alabang may keep right to the Alabangzapote off-ramp.
The Skyway Extension southbound section has two lanes, and runs from the Skyway Main Toll Plaza to Soldier’s Hills in Muntinlupa, with a total distance of 4 kilometers.
Ang noted that the group has seen “a huge improvement in traffic flow” when it opened the fourkilometer northbound section of the Skyway Extension last Sunday.
“It’s only been a number of days since we opened the northbound section, free to the public until further notice, and already we have seen a huge improvement in traffic flow, particularly on SLEX and the Alabang viaduct. That makes us even more determined to complete construction of the southbound section, so this project can fully serve motorists and improve traffic and connectivity to and from the south.”
Ang added that the soft-opening of the first two of the three lanes of the northbound Skyway Extension from Susana Heights to Sucat, Parañaque “proved to be timely, as it coincided with the easing of quarantine restrictions.”
“We’re already seeing how convenient and much faster travel is now, and it will become even more evident when traffic volume picks up and starts to normalize. That is why we’d again like to ask for our motorists’ cooperation and understanding as we move towards completion of the southbound Skyway Extension.”
The Skyway Extension project is part of the 38-kilometer elevated Skyway System, which includes the newly-opened Skyway Stage 3, also fully-funded by SMC. The Skyway system is seen as a gamechanger for Metro Manila as it eases traffic congestion along major thoroughfares and provides a seamless link from the South Luzon Expressway to the North Luzon Expressway.