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Skyway Stage 3 will be a no-truck zone from July 1
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The 18-kilometer elevated network will be limited to Class 1 vehicles
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The decision benefits truckers who can instead use at-grade sections of the Skyway system where tolls are lower or use public roads which are free, according to expressway operator San Miguel Corp
The 18-kilometer (km) Skyway Stage 3 will be a no-truck zone starting July 12, operator San Miguel Corp. (SMC) announced.
The elevated expressway will instead be dedicated to Class 1 vehicles already using Autosweep radio frequency identification (RFID) stickers, SMC said in a statement.
The announcement came after SMC said it will start to collect toll at Skyway 3 starting July 12.
READ: SMC to collect Skyway Stage 3 toll from July 12
SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said the twin moves “would address safety concerns on the elevated expressway, and at the same time further limit the risk of a spread of variants of the COVID-19 virus—especially since the vast majority of its motorists have migrated to the Autosweep RFID electronic toll collection system.”
Ang said limiting Skyway 3 to regular or Class 1 vehicles will further ensure safety for users and benefit public commuters as more private vehicles will be diverted to the elevated expressway and will in turn free up public roads.
In addition, the decision is “beneficial to transporters of goods, who can opt to use the at-grade sections of the Skyway system where tolls are lower, as well as public roads which are free, as they are subsidized by government.”
SMC said regular motorists who will opt to use public roads instead of Skyway 3 are also seen to benefit from the elevated expressway, as it is capable of diverting and handling up to 200,000 vehicles per day, or half of EDSA’s daily traffic volume.
Moreover, SMC said the use of RFID aims to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection among motorists and toll personnel, and ensures faster and convenient travel on the elevated expressway.
Approved Skyway 3 toll rates are:
- Buendia to Balintawak = P264
- Buendia to Sta. Mesa = P105
- Sta. Mesa to Ramon Magsaysay = P30
- Ramon Magsaysay to Balintawak = P129
SMC estimates around 80% of its motorists are RFID users since December 2020. The use of RFID stickers was implemented last year in compliance with Department of Transportation Department Order 2020-012, which mandates cashless transactions in expressways.
Skyway 3 connects South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). It was formally inaugurated on January 14 and opened to traffic on January 15.
After seven months of free public use, SMC will start imposing toll on July 12. SMC pegged its total foregone revenues on Skyway 3 since it opened to the public for free late December 2020 at close to P3 billion.
Skyway 3 reduces travel time from Alabang to Balintawak (and vice versa) to only 30 minutes from the previous three hours, and from Buendia to Balintawak to only 20 minutes.
SMC, which fully funded the construction of the project with no government funds or guarantees, said it spent over P80 billion—more than double the original cost—to complete the project over a period that spanned two administrations.
Many of the delays and additional costs were due to numerous contentious right-of-way issues that led to major redesigns and realignments. SMC also shouldered the cost of reconstructing three Metro Manila bridges.
As of July 2, Skyway on-and off-ramps that have been opened to the public are Buendia southbound (SB) Exit and northbound (NB) Entry, Quirino NB and SB Exit, Plaza Dilao SB Entry, Nagtahan SB and NB Exit, E. Rodriguez SB Exit, Quezon Ave SB Exit and Entry, Quezon Ave NB Exit and Entry, A. Bonifacio NB Exit, NLEX NB Exit and NLEX SB Entry.
Updated on July 12, 2021, 2:04pm, to include approved toll rates.
