Motorists driving southbound of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) could expect a faster travel time. San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has officially opened the southbound segment of the Skyway Extension project.
Skyway Extension southbound [Photo: Pinoy Joyride]
The Skyway Extension southbound segment is initially slated to be opened by the third quarter (Q3) of this year. SMC might not have met its original target completion date but, the opening of the Skyway Extension southbound off-ramp is just in time for the holidays.
SMC president Ramon S. Ang previously said that the southbound section will help improve traffic flow on SLEX. Ang expects that the Skyway Extenstion southbound segment will yield similar results as to how the northbound segment improved traffic flow on SLEX and the Alabang viaduct.
The Skyway Extension southbound segment was officially opened last December 10, according to Skyway O&M Corporation. The said segment has two lanes that run from the Skyway Main Toll Plaza to Soldier’s Hills in Muntinlupa. It has a total distance of four kilometers. Currently, the Skyway O&M Corp. is implementing an 80 km/h speed limit on the southbound segment.
Skyway Extension southbound is now open
Motorists who are going to SLEX, Laguna, Batangas, and Quezon should keep right to be able to use the newly opened Skyway Extension southbound segment. To put things in perspective, vehicles driving along the Skyway (southbound) should keep right or use the right-most pass-thru toll plaza.
The reason for this is that you can’t change lanes once you enter the pass-thru toll plaza on the left as there are bollards in place to separate vehicles bound for Alabang. In case you miss the right-most pass-thru toll plaza, the make-shift downramp bound for SLEX is still open as of this writing.
Skyway Extension Southbound - Off ramp NOW OPEN! [Video: dmitrivalencia]
Skyway O&M Corp. is also reminding motorists that the Easytrip RFID is not yet allowed on Skyway, SLEX, Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway (NAIAX), Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR tollway), and Tarlac–Pangasinan–La Union Expressway (TPLEX).
The company added that it is working on offering a unified toll collection system across expressways for faster, and more convenient travel. Skyway O&M Corp. said that it plans to implement the said system in the “soonest possible time.”
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