The 18-kilometer Skyway Stage 3 project will be fully operational on Jan. 14, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced.
“Once it becomes fully operational, travel time from the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) will be reduced from 2 hours to only 30 minutes, while Makati City to Quezon City will only be 20 minutes away,” DPWH Secretary Mark Villar said.
The Skyway Stage 3, a “Build, Build, Build” project, partially opened on Dec. 29.
“At least 55,000 vehicles are expected to be diverted from Edsa, C5, and other major thoroughfares.”
“Skyway Stage 3 is a critical component of the Edsa decongestion project — a masterplan composed of 25 projects. When the project is fully opened on January 14, at least 55,000 vehicles are expected to be diverted from Edsa, C5, and other major thoroughfares,” Villar stressed.
The Skyway Stage 3 is a 17.93-kilometer elevated expressway that spans from Gil Puyat Avenue (Buendia) in Makati City to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) toll plaza in Balintawak, Quezon City.
San Miguel Corporation (SMC) president Ramon Ang said, motorists are free to use the Skyway Stage 3 for one month.
The project has seven available ramps: Buendia Northbound On Ramp and Southbound Off-Ramp, Plaza Dilao Southbound On-Ramp, Quezon Avenue Northbound and Southbound On and Off-Ramp, and Balintawak Northbound Off-Ramp and Southbound On-Ramp.
“The Skyway Stage 3 project will eventually connect to the NLEX Harbor Link, which opened this year, via the NLEX-SLEX Connector in 2021,” Villar said.
“By 2022, every city in Metro Manila will be accessible in a 20 to 30 timeframe.”
“We are confident that by 2022, every city in Metro Manila will be accessible in a 20 to 30 timeframe,” the public works head added.
The NLEX-SLEX Connector is an 8-kilometer elevated four-lane toll expressway that traverses the NLEX Southbound Route from the end of Segment 10 along C3 Road in Caloocan to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila.
It is expected to divert at least 35,000 motorists every day from Edsa and C5.