SMC opens new Skyway exit in Quezon City

FILE PHOTO: Motorists negotiate the Skyway Stage 3 in Sta. Mesa, Manila with buildings shrouded in smog the day after the New Year countdown on Monday, January 1, 2024. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

Motorists traversing Skyway Stage 3 in Quezon City may soon see less congestion after conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) opened a new exit ramp.

In a statement over the weekend, SMC said the Quezon Avenue extension (Maria Clara) northbound exit has been open since Saturday, Dec. 28.

“This exit has been long-awaited by our motorists in Quezon City, who now have a convenient alternative,” SMC chair and CEO Ramon Ang said.

Prior to the exit’s opening, vehicles that needed to go down to Quezon Avenue took the G. Araneta Avenue exit, a common bottleneck due to its proximity to a stoplight.

According to Ang, the Quezon Avenue extension exit will not incur any additional toll fees and will have the same rate as the first Quezon Avenue northbound exit.

For instance, vehicles that entered via Buendia will still pay P264.

This comes after the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) issued an interim permit to operate the new exit, saying that SMC had “sufficiently complied” with requirements.

“Considering the immediate need to provide an alternative route and reduce congestion at the Quezon Avenue northbound exit, the TRB grants an interim permit to operate the Maria Clara exit in the interest of the public,” TRB said.

200,000 vehicle capacity

Skyway, which has a capacity of around 200,000 vehicles a day, stretches from Buendia in Makati to the North Luzon Expressway in Balintawak, Quezon City.

Apart from Skyway Stages 1 to 3, SMC’s toll road portfolio includes South Luzon Expressway, Southern Tagalog Arterial Road, Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway, and Alabang South Skyway Extension.