The ongoing Skyway Extension Project caused a lot of turmoil along the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) late last year. While things have improved as of late—the closed lanes have already been reopened—motorists who regularly traverse the tollway may yet again be in for some grueling months ahead.
Skyway O&M Corp. (SOMCO) has announced that road works such as bored piling and column installations are scheduled to begin this February 16, 2020, and that southbound traffic along the Skyway will be affected. SOMCO has clarified that this will be completed in six weeks.
As a result of this, the third southbound lane of Skyway at-grade and the northbound lane of the West Service Road will be closed off starting from the Sucat interchange all the way to the Alabang viaduct. In addition, the southbound Alabang exit plaza and the nearby southbound Bunye South Station headed to Filinvest will also be closed. SOMCO says that these closures were initially scheduled last December but were delayed in light of the holiday season traffic.
Likewise, San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has announced the new traffic scheme to be implemented when the road works begin. Check out the full advisory below.
For the closure of the 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: exit via Susana Heights Toll Plaza, turn right at Susana Heights Ave., and turn either left or right on the National Road to respective destinations.
- Class 1 Vehicles bound for Alabang–Zapote Road, Filinvest, or Daang Hari may choose any of the following routes: 1) Take Filinvest exit, straight to Filinvest Ave., left to Commerce Avenue and/or left Alabang - Zapote Road to destination and/or 2) 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) along Skyway and the northbound lane along West Service Road:
- 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.
“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 SMC president Ramon Ang. “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.
“Humihingi po kami ng paumanhin. Ito ay makakabuti sa lahat, at maso-solve po natin ang problema sa traffic sa SLEX at Alabang. Bigyan lang po natin ng pagkakataon ang ating mga engineers at trabahador na gawin ang kailangan para matapos po ito sa madaling panahon.”
Once completed, the extended portion of the Skyway is expected to service 4,500 northbound vehicles and 3,000 southbound vehicles per hour and ease traffic along SLEX.
Will you be affected by this new traffic scheme? If so, what say you?
