New exit ramp to reduce Skyway Stage 3 traffic in Quezon City -- report

For those who suffer the misery of sitting in traffic near Quezon Avenue in Quezon City because of the Skyway, relief may soon be at hand.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported on Dec. 28, 2022 that San Miguel Corporation (SMC) president and CEO Ramon Ang has approved two projects to reduce bottlenecks on the Skyway.

SMC Infrastructure, an affiliate company of SMC, manages the Skyway system.

The first project is the construction of a second exit ramp to reduce traffic congestion on the northbound lane of Quezon Avenue, which experiences gridlock because the Quezon Avenue off-ramp is located a few hundred meters before the intersection of Araneta Avenue and Quezon Avenue.

The new ramp will reportedly bypass this intersection and allow motorists to return to ground level near the Maria Clara Street junction of Araneta Avenue.

Meanwhile, the second project will involve the southbound side of the Skyway, specifically the Sales Road interchange.

The area is notorious for heavy congestion because vehicles going up the Magallanes on-ramp intersect with vehicles exiting into the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway (NAIAX).

Ang reportedly ordered the addition of one more lane from Magallanes to NAIAX, along with the addition of two lanes to allow motorists traveling near the C-5 area on the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) to go up to the Skyway.

More than 20 years of elevated motoring

The towering Metro Manila Skyway started operations in 1999 and comprises four sections.

Skyway Stage 1 is a 9.3-kilometer section that runs from Bicutan to Makati City, while Stage 2 is a 6.86-kilometer section that runs from Bicutan to Alabang.

The 17.93-kilometer Skyway Stage 3 opened on December 2020 and extended the existing Skyway from Buendia in Makati City to Balintawak in Quezon City.

SMC said Stage 3 will help decongest the notoriously gridlocked EDSA highway.

Finally, the 4-kilometer Skyway Extension Project connects the Skyway system to Susana Heights in Muntinlupa City.

The toll road also connects with SLEX, which is also managed by SMC Infrastructure, and the North Luzon Expressway that is handled by the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation of billionaire Manny Pangilinan.

SMC Infrastructure is also planning to construct Skyway Stage 4, which is an 80-kilometer toll road that will connect the existing Skyway system starting from the FTI section all the way to Bulacan.

Do you think these measures will help decongest the Skyway?