The entire 17.93-kilometer (km) stretch of the Skyway Stage 3 project, which links North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), is finally complete, but the public will have to wait a little while more for its official opening.
San Miguel Corp. (SMC) president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang announced in a statement that the project was finished ahead of its October 31 schedule despite delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m happy to announce that the whole structure of Skyway 3 is now complete. With this, Skyway 2 in Buendia is now officially extended all the way to the North Luzon Expressway. After many challenges this project faced in previous years, the dream of connecting north and south and providing an alternative to EDSA is now a reality,” Ang said.
With Skyway 3 finished, traveling from SLEX to NLEX will soon take only 20 minutes from around three hours currently. Magallanes to Balintawak will only take about 15 minutes to traverse, Balintawak to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) also only 15 minutes, and Valenzuela to Makati in just 10 minutes.
Ang said, however, that the expressway won’t be opened to the public just yet due to delays in in finishing works, such as the proper curing of asphalt, caused by heavy rains.
“We’re very excited to open Skyway 3 to the public. We just have to wait for the weather to improve so we can make sure that the asphalt will cure properly. That and a few more finishing touches are all that’s needed, and then we can open, soon,” he added.
Since COVID-19 restrictions were eased around mid-May to June earlier this year, Ang said the company has been doubling its efforts to deliver its major infrastructure projects with the least delays possible.
In mid-July, it delivered the last section of the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway (TPLEX) up to Rosario, La Union, officially opening the entire stretch of the TPLEX to motorists.
Apart from Skyway 3, the company is also looking to deliver the northbound section of the Skyway Extension by December this year.
The extension provides additional lanes and connects SLEX to Skyway near Susanna Heights and the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway.
Ang has vowed to push through with all of the company’s major infrastructure projects despite the economic slowdown due to the pandemic in order to help in job generation and economic recovery.
Its P740-billion Manila International Airport project in Bulacan, said to be the largest single-item investment in Philippine history, is set to break ground by the end of the year.
READ: Bulacan airport franchise gets Senate final nod
Both houses of Congress recently approved on third and final reading a bill granting SMC’s subsidiary, San Miguel Aerocity, Inc., the authority to build, develop, and operate the New Manila International Airport in Bulakan, Bulacan.
