San Miguel Corp. (SMC) said on Monday it has opened two of three lanes of the Skyway Extension project’s northbound section, providing motorists with free toll “until further notice.”
Ramon S. Ang, the company’s president, said the 4-kilometer section from Susana Heights to Sucat in Parañaque was opened after the structural completion and asphalt-laying done last month.
“I am proud to announce to motorists from the south that finally, our long-awaited Skyway Extension northbound section is open. Our long-term solution to addressing traffic particularly on Slex heading to the Alabang area has finally been realized,” Ang said.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark A. Villar welcomed this development, saying that this will help in decongesting major roads in Metro Manila, especially Edsa.
“The completion of the northbound section of Skyway Extension is testament to what the government and the private sector can achieve together. We are confident that by 2022, President Duterte’s promise of decongesting Edsa will come into fruition,” Villar said.
The northbound section provides a direct link to the elevated Skyway System for motorists coming from provinces like Laguna, Batangas, and Cavite as it allows them to bypass the Alabang viaduct, reducing congestion in the area.
From Slex, they can go directly to their destinations like Makati, Manila, Quezon City up to the North Luzon Expressway (Nlex), via SMC’s new Skyway Stage 3.
“We are confident that this will further reduce congestion along Edsa and usher growth to provinces in Southern Luzon and beyond,” Ang said.
He added that the northbound section, which will have three lanes, will allow the additional capacity of 4,500 vehicles per hour. With the completion of the section, travel time to Nlex will be reduced from as long as three hours to as short as 25 minutes.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes