San Miguel Corp. (SMC), through SMC Infrastructure, yesterday opened the southbound Quirino exit of the Skyway Stage 3 project, allowing motorists coming from Balintawak and Quezon Avenue to directly reach Manila within less than 20 minutes.
The opening was led by Ramon Ang, SMC president, and Mark Villar, Department of Public Works and Highways secretary.
“The full completion of Skyway Stage 3 will divert at least 75,000 vehicles away from EDSA or C5 (Circumferential Road 5). This is a realization of President Duterte’s promise to decongest EDSA. Skyway Stage 3 is proof that the private sector and the government can work together towards a unified solution,” Villar said.
With this, the expressway now has 15 operational ramps while remaining ramps will be completed this December, according to SMC.
“The opening of the Quirino southbound exit will greatly improve accessibility from Quezon City and Manila. With more private vehicles diverted to Skyway Stage 3 on their way back from NLEX (North Luzon Expressway), or coming from Quezon Ave., to Manila, traffic on our major public roads as well as on streets usually utilized as ‘short cuts’ or ‘alternate routes’, will be a thing of the past,” Ang said.
Ang said SMC will continue to deliver on its commitment to bring motorists quality infrastructure that addresses congestion and lack of accessibility.
“We remain dedicated to providing convenient and seamless travel for motorists to help decongest Metro Manila and enable growth in all areas that we reach,” he added.
The end-to-end alignment (main alignment) was completed and partially opened last December 29, with continuous construction works for toll plazas and remaining ramps to be completed by December 2021.
The project was formally opened last January. It connects Buendia to Balintawak, and vice versa.
Together with Skyway 1 and 2, the Skyway system is a 38-kilometer elevated expressway with 36 on- and off-ramp access points that greatly improves accessibility, transportation and traffic conditions throughout Metro Manila. – Myla Iglesias
