SMC opens 2 lanes of Skyway Extension's northbound section; fees waived indefinitely

Two of the three lanes of the Skyway Extension's northbound section have been opened with tolls for the four-kilometer segment waived until further notice, private proponent San Miguel Corp. (SMC) announced Monday.

SMC said the four-kilometer stretch from Susana Heights to Sucat in Paranaque was opened to Class 1 vehicles with RFID starting 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 11, 2021. Structural completion and asphalt-laying were completed in March.

"We are confident that this will further reduce congestion along EDSA and usher growth to provinces in Southern Luzon and beyond," SMC President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon Ang said in a statement.

The northbound section provides a direct link to the elevated Skyway System for motorists coming from provinces like Laguna, Batangas, and Cavite, and allows them to bypass the Alabang viaduct.

From the South Luzon Expressway, they can proceed to destinations such as Makati, Manila, and Quezon City, up to the North Luzon Expressway via the Skyway Stage 3.

SMC is the parent company of CITRA Central Expressway Corporation (CCEC), which bagged the P44.86-billion Skyway Stage 3 Project. It involves the construction of an 18.83-kilometer elevated expressway from Buendia, Makati City to the North Luzon Expressway in Balintawak, Quezon City.

Opened in January, the project connects the SLEX and NLEX and reduces travel time between Buendia and Balintawak to 15 to 20 minutes from the current travel time of two hours.

The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) last month approved the provisional toll rates for the Skyway Stage 3.

Shares in SMC closed Monday at P118.00 apiece, unchanged from last Friday's finish.  —KBK, GMA News