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Skyway Extension’s northbound segment is now 70% finished and on schedule for completion by December
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Once Skyway Extension and Skyway 3 are both complete, travel from North Luzon Expressway to South Luzon Expressway, and vice versa, will just take 30 minutes
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Southbound section of Skyway Extension has a July 2021 completion date
The northbound section of the Skyway Extension project is now 70% done and on track for its scheduled completion by end of the year, according to San Miguel Corp. (SMC) president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang.
The P10-billion project, fully funded by concessionaire SMC, will extend the Skyway from Susana Heights on the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) to Sucat in Parañaque and back, and will provide direct access to the elevated section of the Skyway, the company said in a statement.
It will connect SLEX and Muntinlupa Cavite Expressway (MCX) to the Skyway at Susanna Heights, bypassing Alabang, to shorten travel from south to north via the Skyway System.
“We are on track to deliver the northbound section of the Skyway Extension project by December, and with this, motorists from the south can easily access Makati, Manila, San Juan, Quezon City, and the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX),” Ang said.
“Under normal Metro Manila conditions, you will be lucky if you can get from SLEX to the North Luzon Expressway in under three hours. You would have to pass through traffic gridlocks in Alabang, Magallanes, practically the whole of EDSA, or various areas through Manila,” he added.
“With the Skyway Extension and the completed Skyway 3, you can get there in 30 minutes without stopping.”
The project, started in late 2019, will also eliminate traffic buildup along SLEX heading to Alabang and the Alabang viaduct.
Previously, from five lanes on the SLEX, the expressway would narrow to just three lanes at the Alabang viaduct, causing huge traffic jams on the expressway and on public roads feeding into it in Muntinlupa and Las Piñas.
The Skyway Extension will expand capacity by adding three lanes northbound and two lanes southbound. With motorists coming from Cavite, Laguna, and Batangas able to bypass Alabang, traffic in Muntinlupa and along the Alabang-Zapote Road is also seen to ease.
Originally, the section had a target completion of July 2020, but this was pushed back to December due to the enhanced community quarantine imposed starting mid-March.
“Work had to stop when the lockdown was implemented. We resumed work in mid-June and because of health protocols, we had to limit the number of workers at the site. Apart from limitations on the workforce, we have also had to contend with delays in the shipment of materials, due to restrictions and limitations brought on by the pandemic,” said Ang.
“But despite these challenges, our engineers and our contractors have come through. They work double-time so we can deliver the northbound section as scheduled, by December.”
The southbound section will follow in July next year, he added.
Currently, steel girders are being installed to support the expressway and the pre-cast slabs are being laid down to make up the road itself.
Then what is left is only to cement the gaps between slabs, and apply asphalt.
“While the weather is also a factor, especially when doing finishing work, we don’t see any problems meeting our December deadline for the northbound section,” Ang said.
Apart from working on the Skyway Extension, Ang said SMC’s infrastructure group is also almost done with improving and reconfiguring Skyway 1 and 2, which has allowed for the opening of an additional lane from Alabang to Magallanes.
READ: Skyway Stage 3 set for Dec ‘soft opening’, toll free for a month
SMC will also soft-launch in December the entire 18-kilometer Skyway Stage 3, a mega project that links SLEX and NLEX.
