Skyway Stage 3 is on track to start operations in December after construction works were recently completed ahead of schedule.
Ramon Ang, president and chief operating officer of proponent San Miguel Corp. (SMC), yesterday said construction of the entire 17.93-kilometer stretch of Skyway Stage 3 which will link southern and northern Luzon seamlessly, has been completed over the weekend, ahead of the original Oct. 31, 2020 schedule the company earlier announced, following delays due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The project officially extends Skyway 2 in Buendia all the way to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), providing an alternative to EDSA.
With Skyway 3, travel from South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) to NLEx will now only take 20 minutes, from around three hours previously. Magallanes to Balintawak will only take about 15 minutes, Balintawak to NAIA also only 15 minutes, and Valenzuela to Makati just 10 minutes.
However, the expressway cannot be opened to the public just yet as finishing works, such as the proper curing of asphalt, have been delayed by continuous and heavy rains.
Delays due to the pandemic and the collapse of a portion of the project due to a fire last February caused delay in the construction. SMC unit Citra Central Expressway Corp. rushed civil works of the project to make up for unforeseen delay.
Skyway Stage 3 is part of the DPWH’s Luzon Spine Expressway Network program which aims to build a total of 903 km. expressway that will reduce travel time between Ilocos and Bicol from 20 hours to 9 hours.
ASMC also eyes to deliver the northbound section of the Skyway Extension, which provides additional lanes and connects SLEx to Skyway near Susanna Heights and the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway, by December this year.
Ang has vowed to push through with all of SMC’s major infrastructure projects despite the economic slowdown due to the pandemic in order to generate jobs and help the economy recover.
