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Skyway Stage 3 to ‘soft-open’ in December; free toll for one month —SMC


The newly-completed Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 will be opened to motorists in December and will be toll-free for a month, conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) announced Tuesday.

In a statement, SMC president and COO Ramon Ang said the 18-kilometer elevated expressway will be soft-open in the next two month and will will be open for free to all motorists for an entire month.

Last week, SMC announced that the Skyway 3, linking Southern and Northern Luzon, has been completed ahead of original schedule on October 31. 

The company said it has also partially opened for public use the Buendia to Plaza Dilao section of Skyway 3 for over a year now.

The portion has remained open and free to date for use by the public without any toll fees, according to SMC.

“We’re very proud and excited about this project, because it will truly make a big difference to so many people’s lives, especially with our economy slowly opening up and with more vehicles coming back to our roads,” Ang said.

“While we’re still doing a few finishing works, we want the public to be able to use Skyway 3 already and benefit from the convenience and ease of travel that it will bring. We have all waited long for this project, so this is the best way we can welcome everyone, by making Skyway 3 free for one month,” he added.

The project, which took a total of 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.

Seamlessly connecting the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) with the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), it will also serve as an alternative to EDSA, with its eight access points that traverse Makati, Manila, San Juan, and Quezon City.

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

Ang thanked all stakeholders and government partners past and present, for their contributions to making the vision that was Skyway 3, a reality.

Privately funded and built by SMC, Skyway 3 was completed at no cost to the government, with also no guarantees or subsidies, according to the company.

After completing the entire structure of Skyway 3 ahead of its October 31 deadline, SMC also earlier announced that it was targeting to deliver the northbound section of the Skyway extension project, which connect SLEX directly to Skyway from Susanna Heights in Muntinlupa, by December. 

With this, travel from Susanna Heights through the Skyway System including Skyway 3, all the way to the Balintawak toll plaza of the NLEX, will only take 20 minutes, Ang said.

Meanwhile, travel time from Magallanes to Balintawak will be just 15 minutes; Balintawak to NAIA will be just 15 minutes, and Valenzuela to Makati will only take 10 minutes. -MDM, GMA News

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