Heavy traffic snarls motorists at Skyway At-Grade Bicutan

Following the non-stop rains since yesterday, motorists experienced heavy traffic that was attributed to the flooding at the Skyway At-Grade (ground level) at Bicutan in Parañaque City.

Immediately, Skyway Operations and Maintenance Corporation (SOMCO) issued a statement, apologizing to those who got affected by the flooding.

Per SOMCO, the major thoroughfare’s aforementioned portion remained flood-free in the past and that it has “consistently strived to maintain a smooth and reliable traffic flow for our valued users.”

“Our maintenance teams conduct regular inspections at the drainage system to remove all obstructions such as sludge and garbage. But over the past few months, the rise in floodwaters at the carriageway has become evident,” SOMCO shared.

“These incidents were primarily due to a drainage system problem outside of the Skyway system, which we traced in February this year, due to ongoing construction works in the area that are unrelated to our operations and outside our direct control,” the company explained.

The toll operator noted that since the discovery, it has been in constant coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways and other government and private sector stakeholders in the area to find a way to address the issue together.

“In fact, we lent some of our equipment to help drain floodwater faster and deployed our maintenance teams to siphon off water from the carriageway,” it added.

Further, SOMCO stated that one of the stakeholders in the area is also currently working on the portion of the affected drainage system within their property — with the contractor promising to finish the outfall within the month.

“We are hopeful that this corrective action will restore the smooth flow of floodwaters to the nearby creek and put an end to the flooding at Skyway At-Grade Bicutan, which has disrupted the traffic flow and greatly inconvenienced our riding public,” the firm said.

“In the meantime, we will continue to work with all involved stakeholders in the area to resolve the issue in the soonest possible time and ensure efficient and safe traffic flow on the expressway.”

Photos from San Miguel Corporation, Skyway Operations and Maintenance Corporation

Also read:

Class 2 vehicles can use elevated Skyway starting Apr.

Heavy traffic welcomes motorists on 1st day of paid use at Skyway Stage 3

LOOK: Here are the approved toll fees for Skyway Stage 3