FINALLY, the kilometers-long congestion along the South Luzon Expressway (Slex) that had motorists angry and weary for two months is expected to ease up, as San Miguel Corp. on Sunday reopened the third at-grade lane of the Skyway System, while inaugurating a new steel ramp to serve as a zipper lane to or from Alabang.
Ramon S. Ang, the company’s president, led Sunday’s reopening of the outermost lane of the at-grade lane of the Skyway and the inauguration of the two-lane steel ramp connecting the Alabang viaduct and the elevated portion of the Skyway. The ramp may be opened for either northbound or southbound motorists depending on the traffic situation.
This now gives motorists a total of five lanes when traveling northbound, should it be opened for northbound traffic.
“I know that our motorists from the south—Muntinlupa, Las Piñas, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas—have a hard time these past two months. Again, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this project has caused. Starting today, motorists from Slex will have up to five lanes northbound during rush hours. This is already a big improvement from just three lanes at the viaduct, before the start of construction,” Ang said.
With this development, Ang delivered on his promise to deliver this portion of the road by December 1. This was possible through the use of new technologies in engineering, including the use of steel guideways and roads that are a trend in developed countries like Japan.
The materials used to build the ramp were “lent” by the Department of Public Works and Highways.
The ramp is part of the diversified conglomerate’s P10-billion Skyway Extension Project, which aims to decongest the Muntinlupa-Parañaque segment of the Slex, where bottlenecks have become a perennial problem.
It consists of several elevated viaducts and ramps, an at-grade roadway and toll facilities. The project will allow for an additional capacity of 4,500 vehicles per hour northbound, and an additional 3,000 vehicles an hour southbound. It is expected to be completed by December 2020.
Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar said this development brings the government closer to its promise of decongesting main arteries in the country, such as Edsa, which some groups describe as a giant carpark.
“One of our promises is to decongest Edsa. We will be able to deliver on that promise,” he said.
Ang agreed, saying his group’s initiative to connect the Skyway System all the way to the Balintawak Toll Plaza of the North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) will create a significant contribution to decongesting Edsa.
“By the end of March, I believe when we connect Skyway Buendia to Nlex Balintawak Toll Plaza, we can eradicate the traffic on Edsa in the next few years,” he said.