THE completion of the entire 18-kilometer stretch of the Skyway Stage 3 project, linking the northern and southern portion of Metro Manila, has been completed, will boost the master plan to decongest Edsa, and greatly reduce travel time within end points of the densely populated Metropolis, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said on Thursday
“From the onset of his administration, President Rodrigo Duterte has worked to decongest Edsa. The completion of the girder construction of Skyway Stage 3 shows the President’s political will to connect every city in Metro Manila within a 30-minute frame,” Villar noted.
“Skyway Stage 3 is one of 23 projects aimed at decongesting Edsa—a 90-year-old 23.8 km circumferential highway,” he added.
Earlier this year, two big-ticket projects under the EDSA Decongestion Masterplan was also completed: the Nlex Harbor Link Segment 10, a 5.58 km, 6-lane divided elevated expressway utilizing the existing PNR railroad tracks connecting
MacArthur Highway, C-3 road in Caloocan and Malabon, and the Nlex Harbor Link R-10 Exit Ramp—a 2.6 km, 4-lane elevated ramp which connects Caloocan, Malabon, and Valenzuela to Manila.
On Tuesday, San Miguel Corp. President and COO Ramon S. Ang announced the completion of the project ahead of the October 31 committed deadline.
The Skyway Stage 3 is an 18-km elevated expressway stretching from Buendia in Makati to Balintawak in Quezon City. It has five sections:
■ Buendia–Quirino Avenue- Nagtahan;
■ Nagtahan–Aurora Blvd/Ramon Magsaysay Avenue;
■ Ramon Magsaysay Avenue- Quezon Avenue;
■ Quezon Avenue-Balintawak; and
■ Balintawak Quezon City-Nlex Footbridge.
Villar noted that when Skyway Stage 3 is opened, travel time from Slex to Nlex will be reduced from two hours to only 30 minutes. Makati to Quezon City will only be 20 minutes away.
“Before 2022 ends, travel time from Naia to Balintawak will only be 20 minutes away. Valenzuela to Makati will only be 15 minutes away,” he added.
Other projects in the decongestion project include the BGC-Ortigas Link Bridge, the Nlex-SlexConnector, the Pantaleon-Estrella Bridge, the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge, the Lawton Avenue, the Katipunan Extension, the Laguna Lake Expressway, among others.
Image credits: DPWH
