New Skyway System Beginning February 16 Limits Skyway Use to Class 1 Vehicles Only

The Skyway management announced that starting February 16, use of the elevated platform will be limited to Class 1 vehicles only, which means only cars, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), pickups, vans, and other personal vehicle types will be permitted to ply the Skyway routes.

The move, which begins implementation on Sunday, February 16, is being done to reduce the impact on traffic of the scheduled closure of one of the Skyway’s southbound lane section.

The closed sections will include the third southbound lane of Skyway at-grade from Sucat to Filinvest, the Alabang southbound and Bunye South Station exit toll plazas, a portion of the northbound West service road, and the Hillsborough off-ramp from the elevated Skyway to at-grade Skyway.

The closure of the soutbound lane is intended to give way to the construction that will extend and connect the existing Skyway to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) near Susana Heights and the Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway (MCX).

Once completed, the southbound lane will comprise a three-lane, elevated northbound section and a two-lane elevated southbound section that bypasses the Alabang viaduct and increase the Skyway’s capacity by 4,500 vehicles per hour northbound, and 3,000 vehicles per hour southbound.

Motorists from Cavite, Laguna and Batangas on their way to Metro Manila and vice versa are the ones who stand to benefit immensely from the project.

Buses, delivery vans, and other commercial vehicles will have to use the at-grade section for the entire time that the southbound lane is under construction.

The Philippine News Agency provides the following specifics for the new Skyway scheme:

• Buses and delivery vans coming from Makati, Manila, and Pasay bound for Alabang must take the Nichols southbound entry toll plaza to the at-grade Skyway.
• Buses and delivery vans from NAIA Expressway bound for Alabang must take Andrews Ave. going to Sales Road, then take Nichols southbound entry toll plaza to the at-grade Skyway.
• Buses and delivery vans from NAIA Expressway can also take the Magallanes northbound off-ramp, make a U-turn under the Magallanes interchange, then head to the Nichols southbound entry toll plaza to the at-grade Skyway.

San Miguel Corporation (SMC), the entity in charge of the Skyway’s construction, developed a traffic management plan with the Filinvest Alabang Inc. and Muntinlupa City government that directs Alabang-bound vehicles to the Filinvest exit, where rerouting schemes to various destinations have been set.

“Yet again, we are asking for our motorists’ patience and support. We want to do everything to make traffic more manageable. Your cooperation and observance of traffic rules and the new traffic schemes will be very critical,” SMC president Ramon S. Ang said.

“Traffic in Alabang has been a problem for all of us for many, many years. Today, we have a long-term solution. Let’s all work together to make it happen,” he added.

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