One-way traffic scheme on East Service Road to take effect on October 8

MANILA:  The ongoing construction of the Skyway Expansion Project made the early morning commute hellish for motorists in the south going north of the Metro this past couple of weeks. The turtle-pace to at times standstill traffic was particularly caused by the partial closure of the northbound lane near the Alabang Viaduct to give way to the preliminary construction of the extension project.

 

Muntinlupa City government, being heavily affected, met with representatives from San Miguel Corporation Tollways, EEI, transport groups, subdivisions, and commercial establishments located along East Service Road last September 30 to discuss rerouting plans to mitigate the worsening traffic in the area.

According to Chief Danidon Nolasco of the Muntinlupa Traffic Management Bureau (MTMB), the result of the meeting with the stakeholders is a one-way traffic scheme on the East Service Road from Alabang viaduct going to Sucat Interchange. The new scheme is set to be implemented on October 8 at 10 pm and will last until the end of November. On the other hand, the West Service Road and Baybayin road will remain open to two-way traffic. Furthermore, the Alabang Northbound Entry Plaza will be relocated at a greater distance near Amkor Anam to help decongest bottleneck traffic jams at the Alabang viaduct.

In a recent press release by the Skyway O&M Corp. (SOMCO), who operates and maintains the South Metro Manila Skyway Project, they continue to appeal to the public to be more considerate despite the inconvenience brought by the worsening traffic, particularly during rush hours.

“We understand your frustration but given that the holiday season is fast approaching, we have to be aggressive with the schedule as it is our best ‘window’ to complete preliminary road works before peak traffic season.”

The Skyway extension project is an important infrastructure project that will increase the capacity of the tollway by as much as 4,500 northbound vehicles and 3,000 southbound vehicles per hour. Phase One of the project which, extends the Skyway from Muntinlupa to Susana Heights is expected to be completed by December 2020. But do expect the heavy traffic to improve come November once the closed-off lane is reopened.

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