New Skyway link to SLEx opens Wednesday

Running all the way to Alabang, a new portion of the South Metro Manila Skyway this Wednesday will open to link the elevated toll road directly to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx). Motorists can use the new section without any new charges until April 20, according to Skyway concessionaire Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corp. (CMMTC). The company said the road will shorten the travel time from Makati to SLEx — gateway to key Southern Luzon provinces such as Laguna, Cavite, and Batangas — by allowing motorists to avoid the usually congested highway below it. CMMTC booths will also start collecting toll at the Skyway’s Bicutan, Sucat, and Alabang exits, and not at its main toll plaza. Before April 20, the firm will keep the toll fees at P85 for class 1 vehicles, P170 for class 2, and P255 for class 3 — the rate for the original Skyway that ran only up to Bicutan. Under the April 20 fare structure, class 1 vehicles that pass through the original 10-km Skyway section from Makati to Bicutan will be charged P75 — P10 lower than the current rate. Vehicles driving all the way to the Skyway’s Sucat exit will be charged an additional P47. Those that travel to Alabang will be charged another P47 — which means class 1 vehicles that travel the entire length of the road will have to pay a total of P169. An initial rate of P50, instead of P75, will meanwhile be collected from road users that enter the highway from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 ramp. With the opening of the new road, Skyway completes its phase two extension that lengthens the original highway by another seven kilometers. — With Paterno Esmaquel II/VS, GMA News