By THEPHILBIZNEWS STAFF
Skyway O&M Corp. (SOMCO) assured motorists on Tuesday that they will experience some relief from heavy traffic in the south by November when preliminary works will have been completed just before much of the Christmas rush.
SOMCO President Manuel Bonoan said the company had to immediately start construction of the more than P10-billion project as soon as it got the go-signal from both national and local government, to ensure that initial work would be completed before the busiest time of the year.
The good news is that by the end of November, motorists will be able to use the third lane that is currently closed due to preliminary works for the project, said Bonoan.
“We ask for understanding and patience from our motorists for this temporary inconvenience. 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,” he said.
He added that the present “window” also gives them a better chance of fully completing the project by its target date of early December next year – again, before the Christmas rush. That is, barring significant delays beyond its control.
Meanwhile, the company advised motorists in advance that the East Service Road will be converted to one-way traffic, northbound from Alabang to Sucat Interchange effective October 8 at 10 p.m., until end of November.
The Alabang North Bound Entry Plaza will also be relocated to the vicinity of Amkor Anam, to improve merging traffic flow from the viaduct.
Bonoan also outlined a traffic scheme that should improve the traffic situation for affected vehicles and allow for the restoration of three lanes for the northbound SLEX.
A northbound counter-flow on the southbound SLEX will be opened as needed, depending on southbound traffic volume.
Meanwhile, the northbound direction will be limited to two lanes along the construction area, to be complemented by counter-flow lanes to ensure that: first, there will be lesser traffic buildup and no bottlenecks closer to the Alabang viaduct—the major cause of the traffic buildup last week; and second, there will still be three lanes utilized for northbound vehicles, which is the normal situation; More traffic personnel will be deployed at all critical areas to help ensure vehicles are moving at all times. Motorists wanting to bypass the area can also take alternate routes such as the MCX.
