SMC to open new lanes to ease SLEx traffic starting Dec. 1

As promised by businessman Ramon Ang, San Miguel Corp. will open on Sunday additional lanes—including a new ramp to the Skyway — to ease vehicular traffic congestion on the metropolis’ main southern artery which it operates.

At the same time, the head of the country’s largest conglomerate lauded government’s efforts to ensure the P10-billion extension of the elevated toll road used by thousands of motorists each day would be completed on time.

“Given the tight timetable we had to implement major engineering and construction works, we could not have completed the new ramp and the initial phase of construction for the Skyway Extension without the ‘bayanihan’ spirit demonstrated by the team of President Duterte, led by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Transportation (DoTR),” Ang said.

The construction of the project had earlier caused heavy congestion on the northbound lanes of the South Luzon Expressway for which Ang had vowed that relief would be forthcoming by the beginning of December.

On Sunday, the company will open a new two-lane Alabang-Skyway ramp and reopen a third lane of the at-grade section of the highway.

“Recognizing both the importance of the project and addressing the current traffic situation, the DPWH, through Secretary Mark Villar, lent us much-needed resources, including bridge construction materials, to ensure that the new ramp will be built on time,” Ang said.

Once completed by next year, the ramp will ease traffic on SLEx by giving motorists access to the Skyway from Susana Heights and the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway.

“With the new ramp and the reopening of the third at-grade lane, northbound traffic will now have up to five lanes during rush hours,” Ang said. “This is already a big improvement from what we had prior to the start of construction, which was just three lanes on the Alabang viaduct and Skyway at-grade.”

“With this, we expect the current traffic situation to improve, even as we continue the construction of the Skyway Extension, which is set for completion by 2020,” he added.

The San Miguel chief said that, apart from the DPWH, the DOTr under Secretary Art Tugade, and the local government of Muntinlupa, led by Mayor Jaime Fresnedi and the city council, were also a big help.