Remember last week’s carmageddon along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX)? If you live down south, there’s even a good chance you went through it more than once in the last few days. Fortunately, we have some good news that both motorists and commuters alike will be ecstatic to hear.
In a recent press release, Skyway O&M Corp. (SOMCO) has announced that by the end of November 2019—right before the holiday rush—the third lane that is currently closed off for the preliminary construction will finally be reopened and ease up the northbound traffic.
“We ask for understanding and patience from our motorists for this temporary inconvenience. We understand your frustration but given that the holiday season is fast approaching, we have to be aggressive with the schedule as it is our best ‘window’ to complete preliminary road works before peak traffic season,” said SOMCO president Manuel Bonoan.
To cope with the situation, the company has also advised that a one-way northbound traffic scheme will be implemented along the East Service Road effective October 8 at 10 pm and will last until the end of November. It also mentioned that the Alabang Northbound Entry Plaza will be relocated further north near Amkor Anam to help decongest the bottleneck at the Alabang viaduct.
Bonoan also stressed the importance of the project, saying that it will increase the capacity of the tollway by 4,500 northbound vehicles per hour and 3,000 southbound vehicles per hour. Phase 1—which will see the Skyway extended from Muntinlupa all the way to Susana Heights—is targeted to be completed by December 2020. Following suit will be the expansion of the Bicutan, Sucat, and Alabang-Zapote access points, which will then be included in Phases 2 and 3.
We know it’s still several weeks from now until the situation improves, but hey, at least we got a date, right?
