DPWH says fire may push back Skyway completion but San Miguel vows to rebuild ‘with least delay’

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar said that the completion date for the Skyway Stage 3 might be pushed back due to the Saturday morning fire that razed a warehouse in Manila.

But in a statement, concessionaire San Miguel Corporation (SMC) said it will rebuild the damaged portion of the Skyway "at the soonest possible time, with the least delay on the projected completion."

The fire that hit a San Miguel-owned warehouse in Pandacan caused a portion of the skyway to collapse.

In an interview with Super Radyo dzBB, Villar said that the target date for the Skyway's completion was the second quarter of 2020, between April and May.

"Pero mukhang baka, dahil sa sunog... mukhang baka ma-push back ang mga delivery date ng skyway," he said.

The Public Works secretary, however, added that the repairs needed on the skyway were "manageable."

"Kung magkakaroon ng delay, hindi naman gaanong kahaba siguro 'yung delay. Manageable naman. It was just, isang section naman ang affected," Villar explained.

Villar said that the DPWH would check all the sections of the skyway, and that the highway's structural integrity would be verified before the public was allowed to use it.

As for the cost of the repairs, he said that his office would coordinate the expenses with SMC.

Upon completion, the Skyway Stage 3 would connect Buendia, Makati City to the Northern Luzon Expressway (NLEX) in Balintawak, Quezon City. — Angelica Y. Yang/DVM, GMA News