Skyway Stage 3 connecting SLEX with NLEX partly opens on Dec 29

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A portion of Skyway Stage 3. Photo from San Miguel Corp.
  • Skyway Stage 3 partially opens on December 29
  • Toll waived for a month
  • Connecting SLEX with NLEX, Skyway Stage 3 also serves as an alternative thoroughfare to EDSA, with its eight access points that traverse Makati, Manila, San Juan, and Quezon City

The 18-kilometer (km) Skyway Stage 3, which links South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), will be partially opened on December 29, with motorists allowed to use the thoroughfare toll-free for a month.

“I am pleased to announce the partial opening tomorrow, December 29, of our 18-km Skyway Stage 3, for free to motorists for one month. By January 14, we can all enjoy the full benefits of this engineering marvel,” Ramon Ang, president and chief operating officer of concessionaire San Miguel Corp. (SMC), said in a statement.

READ: Skyway Stage 3 set for Dec ‘soft opening’, toll free for a month

Over a year ago, SMC also partially opened the Buendia to Plaza Dilao section of Skyway Stage 3, which remains open and free for use by the public.

Skyway Stage 3, which took six years to complete due to numerous challenges, including right-of-way issues and major changes to its design and alignment, is seen to greatly improve travel times and traffic conditions in and around Metro Manila.

Connecting SLEX with NLEX, it will also serve as an alternative to EDSA, with its eight access points that traverse Makati, Manila, San Juan, and Quezon City.

These access points are Buendia, Plaza Dilao, Nagtahan, Aurora Blvd., Quezon Ave., Sgt. Rivera, Balintawak, and NLEX.

Skyway 3, which was privately funded and built by SMC, was completed at no cost to government, and with no guarantees or subsidies.

Ang earlier said Skyway 3 will not only improve the daily commutes of Filipinos but will also fast track transportation of goods from north and south Luzon.

The P10-billion Skyway Extension Project, meanwhile, will be completed by February 2021. The project, construction of which was halted for a time last month due to an accident, will extend the Skyway from Susana Heights on SLEX to Sucat in Parañaque and back, and will provide direct access to the elevated section of the Skyway.

It will connect SLEX and Muntinlupa Cavite Expressway to the Skyway at Susanna Heights, bypassing Alabang, to shorten travel from south to north via the Skyway System.

The project, started in late 2019, will also eliminate traffic buildup along SLEX heading to Alabang and the Alabang viaduct.