All 7 lanes of Skyway Stage 3 to be opened to regular vehicular traffic January 15 — SMC

All seven lanes of the 18-kilometer Skyway Stage 3 Elevated Expressway connecting the South Luzon and North Luzon expressways are set to be fully opened to regular vehicles on Friday, January 15, private proponent San Miguel Corp. (SMC) announced. 

In a statement released Wednesday, SMC said the entire expressway will be closed starting 10 p.m. on January 13 and will last the whole day of January 14 for a full inspection, set-up, and staging of the opening.

The full expressway will then be opened to regular vehicular traffic starting 5 a.m. on January 15.

"We ask for the kind understanding of motorists, as we prepare to officially open Skyway 3. Following the opening, motorists will be able to experience the benefits of all seven lanes and all the features of this game-changing expressway that will reduce travel time from SLEX to NLEX and vice-versa, to only 30 minutes. It will also help decongest traffic on EDSA and many parts of Metro Manila," Skyway management said.

"Skyway 3 will remain toll-free until January 29, and we look forward to welcoming our motorists, and letting them experience seamless travel," it added.

San Miguel Corp. is the parent company of CITRA Central Expressway Corporation (CCEC), which bagged the P44.86-billion Skyway Stage 3 Project. It involves the construction of an 18.83-kilometer elevated expressway from Buendia, Makati City to the North Luzon Expressway in Balintawak, Quezon City.

The project will connect the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), and reduce travel time between Buendia and Balintawak to 15 to 20 minutes from the current travel time of 2 hours.

To recall, SMC earlier said the project was completed ahead of the original schedule in October.

This came even after a portion of the project collapsed in February due to a fire that broke out at a nearby warehouse in Pandacan, Manila. — RSJ, GMA News