Skyway O&M, operators of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) and Skyway will resume construction of the Skyway Extension Project, starting February 16, 2020. Originally scheduled last December, construction was deferred due to the busy Holiday season traffic.
The project, worth over PhP 10 billion, will extend the Skyway all the way to Susana Heights. It involves the construction of a three-lane, elevated northbound section and a two-lane, elevated southbound section that will run on either side of the SLEx and connect to the existing Skyway. Bored piling and column installation activities are expected to be completed in six weeks.
It will increase the Skyway’s capacity by 4,500 vehicles per hour northbound, and 3,000 vehicles per hour southbound, giving motorists from Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and beyond, greater ease of travel to, or from, Metro Manila.
In order to mitigate traffic, Skyway O&M has coordinated with the City Government of Muntinlupa and administrators of Filinvest Alabang Inc. (FAI) on a scheme to manage traffic flow for the duration of the construction.
Closed lanes
The plan involves the closure of one southbound lane (Lane 3) of Skyway at-grade and the northbound lane of the West Service Road from the Sucat Interchange to Alabang Viaduct. There will also be a closure of the southbound Alabang exit plaza (beside the Alabang viaduct) and the nearby southbound Bunye South Station (heading to Crimson, Filinvest).
Affected motorists, particularly those headed to Alabang or the Alabang Zapote Road, will be rerouted to the Filinvest Exit and through Filinvest City.
New traffic schemes
To reroute traffic around the closed toll plazas, the new traffic scheme is as follows:
Class 1 and 2 vehicles headed to Alabang or Alabang-Zapote Road, take Filinvest Exit Toll Plaza, turn right at Corporate Ave., right to Civic Drive, right again at Corporate Ave., then right to Alabang –Zapote Road towards their destination.
Class 1, 2, and 3 vehicles bound for Alabang, Putatan, and National Road can take the Susana Exit Toll Plaza, turn right at Susana Heights Ave., and turn either left or right on the National Road to their respective destinations
Class 1 Vehicles bound for Alabang–Zapote Road, Filinvest, or Daang Hari may choose any of the following routes: take Filinvest exit, straight to Filinvest Ave., left to Commerce Avenue and/or left Alabang - Zapote Road to destination and/or; take Filinvest exit, right to Corporate Ave., left to Commerce Ave., right to Filinvest Ave., left to Alabang–Zapote Road.
For the closure of one at-grade southbound lane (Lane 3) at Skyway At-grade and portion of West Service Road northbound: Class 1 Vehicles bound to Skyway NB at-grade, from Alabang-Zapote Road, take Filinvest Ave., turn left to Parkway St., then turn right to the access tunnel to the Filinvest northbound entry.
Class 1 Vehicles bound to Skyway NB elevated, from Alabang-Zapote Road, take Filinvest Ave., turn left to Parkway St., then turn right to the access tunnel to the Filinvest northbound entry. Keep right and use the ramp before the Sucat interchange (On-ramp to Skyway Main Plaza).
Class 1 and 2 vehicles bound to East Service Road, take a U-Turn at the Alabang Viaduct Ilalim in front of Starmall.
Direct access to Skyway 1, 2, 3
Set for completion by December 2020, the Skyway Extension Project will add two lanes going north for a total of five northbound lanes, and three lanes going south for a total of four southbound lanes. It will provide motorists a direct connection to Skyway 1, 2, and 3 (set to open in April 2020).
This will allow motorists coming from the south to bypass Alabang and even Edsa, if they are headed to the airport, Makati, Manila, San Juan, Quezon City, all the way to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx).
The company thanked FAI, a private development in Alabang, for its openness to, and cooperation with, the new traffic scheme, saying the company has always had a strong sense of social responsibility.
For motorists’ benefit
“We are once again appealing to motorists for their patience and understanding for the temporary inconvenience they may experience until construction activities are completed in the area,” said Ramon S. Ang, president of San Miguel Corporation, parent company of SMC Infrastructure, which operates the expressway. “The Muntinlupa City Government, FAI, and Skyway, have come together and are helping each other, to ensure we have a traffic management plan in place, as we work on a long-term solution to traffic,” he said.
“We apologize to you. This project is for your benefit, it will solve our long-standing traffic problem on SLEX and in Alabang. Let’s give our engineers and workers the chance to do what they need to finish the project,” he added.
