San Miguel Corporation (SMC) will shortly fulfill its commitment to provide the public a long-term solution to years of worsening traffic on the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) approach to Alabang, Muntinlupa City, brought about by rapid growth in Southern Luzon.
SMC president Ramon S. Ang formally disclosed the structural completion of the northbound section of the Skyway Extension project, with asphalt-laying set to be done by end of this month.
“I’m happy to announce that soon, we can open the northbound section of the Skyway Extension for our motorists coming from the south. This almost four-kilometer, three-lane expansion will have an additional capacity of 4,500 vehicles per hour, significantly easing congestion and allowing motorists to bypass the Alabang viaduct. Those coming from SLEX or MCX can go up the ramp at Susana Heights, and directly go to Makati, Manila, Skyway 3, all the way to Quezon City and North Luzon Expressway,” he said in a recent statement.
Ang said bypassing the usual traffic chokepoints such as Alabang, Magallanes, and Edsa, one can be at NLEX from SLEX in 25 to 30 minutes instead of two to three hours. “This will be a big relief to so many motorists and will do a lot to ease traffic in southern Metro Manila, including on public roads leading to SLEX and Skyway,” he added.
Planned and fully funded by SMC, the Skyway Extension project started in late 2019. Its northbound section stretches 3.99 kilometers from Susana Heights to Sucat. It is seen to decongest SLEX and Skyway at-grade traffic by diverting motorists straight to the elevated Skyway.
The project was originally targeted for completion in December 2020 but was delayed by and work limitations imposed by the Covid-19 global pandemic, starting with the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) implemented beginning middle of March last year.
Ang thanked motorists and stakeholders, including the Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation, the local government of Muntinlupa, and private companies such as Filinvest, National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), and Meralco, for their full cooperation and support for the project.
“We would not be where we are today, nearing the full completion and opening of this project, without the cooperation of our motorists, who have had to adjust to new traffic schemes, and the support of our stakeholders in government, as well as the private sector, which accommodated the necessary traffic rerouting schemes,” Ang said.
He said the project’s 3.8-kilometer southbound section, is now already 52.31 complete is targeted for opening next July.