Let’s start with the good news: The Skyway northbound extension project is finally nearing completion, after the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) announced it would be done by December 2020. It was originally scheduled to finish in July but, well, COVID-19 happened.
The bad news? Well, in order to meet the new December deadline, Skyway northbound is now partially closed to make way for construction works.
The affected segment is the northbound on-ramp right before Sucat (see tweet below), which was closed earlier today. Northbound class 1 vehicles must now enter the elevated portion of Skyway via the steel ramp near the Alabang viaduct, while class 2 vehicles have to take the at-grade section.
The steel ramp will be open 24 hours a day for northbound motorists and from 4pm to 9pm daily for southbound motorists. The Alabang-Zapote Skyway northbound ramp will also be closed from 4pm to 9pm to make way for motorists headed south via the steel ramp. Meanwhile, the Hillsborough and Alabang-Zapote southbound ramps will remain completely operational.
“Because of the delays and restrictions brought on by the lockdown, we’ve had to make a lot of adjustments. But we are on track to deliver the entire northbound section of the Skyway Extension by end of this year,” SMC president Ramon Ang said in a recent statement.
“When we open this northbound section, motorists will enjoy smoother and faster trips from Calamba going to Makati and other parts of Metro Manila. By improving traffic flow and reducing congestion, this project will also help in accelerating trade and tourism, particularly south of Metro Manila. That is something we need to further help our economy during this pandemic, and after it,” he added.
Currently, 85 of 92 northbound piles have already been completed, with other bridge components already being fabricated.
