Will 'build, build, build' deliver its first major project?

Motorists might be able to breathe a sigh of relief soon. With any luck, a portion of Skyway Stage 3 Section 01 will open just before the new school year opens by June.

But before one starts wooting for joy, all have to consider the following:

  • Section 01 only has a North Bound traffic on-ramp from Osmena Highway at-grade somewhere around Buendia.

  • The same section only has a South Bound off-ramp to the front of Cash & Carry.

  • The long North Bound Quirino Ave. to Skyway Stage 3 on-ramp won't be finished by June

  • Ditto also for Nagtahan south bound on-ramp from Plaza Dilao to elevated Skyway Stage 3.

  • There are no provisions for temporary ramps along Section 01

  • No other off ramps are planned on this section and neither would there be any space for temporary ramps

Skyway Stage 3 Opens in June?

Now, what all the above indicates is that even if Sec. Villar is able to inaugurate Skyway Stage 3 Section 01 in June, north bound traffic from Skyway Stage 1 beyond the Makati CBD exit has nowhere to go or to be precise, no other way to return to the at-grade section of Osmena Highway, much less Quirino Ave. By the same token, at-grade traffic on Osmena Highway south bound has no way to gain access to the elevated Stage 3 except the old way, south of Buendia. So until the aforelisted on-ramps and the off-ramps at Nagtahan and the much delayed Section 02 are finished, opening Stage 3 in June may well end up as a well-paved, well-lit 3.8kms of elevated expressway with zero traffic use at all. Any use of Section 01 will have to wait for off ramps and on ramps at Plaza Dilao.

But it need not be so. A portion of the finished Section 01 can still be used to alleviate traffic at Osmena Highway, Buendia and several streets parallel and intersecting Buendia. Our proposal:

  • To alleviate the massive bunching of traffic on the north bound lanes of elevated Skyway Stage 01 and Osmena Highway [Skyway at-grade] due to the traffic signals under and around the Buendia flyover, traffic heading for Manila and Pasay using Buendia will proceed on the Skyway elevated, going past the Don Bosco, CBD and Buendia exit off ramps.

  • Proceeding north along Stage 3, traffic will make a U-turn at the widest portion of the toll plaza apron. Multi lane U-turns channeled by orange plastic bollards will be arranged by SOMCO.

  • Traffic now proceeds to the off ramp that leads to the at-grade service road, south bound at the Cash & Carry vicinity. Traffic can now proceed to Buendia, either to Makati or Manila, following the at-grade traffic lights at the Buendia-Osmena Highway junction.

  • Adjustments to traffic light cycles must be studied as traffic flow will be redistributed.

  • The routine traffic pattern of the at-grade southbound Osmena highway, approaching the Buendia traffic signals will have to be adjusted as there is an increase of vehicles coming down the Stage 3 off ramp.

  • A rotunda or roundabout circulatory continuousw [no red light] system can be considered for the at-grade section of Buendia-Osmena Highway, encompassing all the 4 crosswise streets parallel to Buendia.

  • To alleviate the post lunch hour southbound traffic; the north bound elevated Stage 3 on-ramp at Buendia will open to accommodate vehicles heading for NAIAx and points further south on Skwyay-SLEx. These vehicles will also filter through the toll plaza U-turn lanes to resume southward travel on the elevated Skyway Stage 1.

Skyway Stage 3 Opens in June?

Our traffic relieving proposals COMING up SOON : Changing traffic patterns on both SLEx service roads, C-5, Merville, Quirino Highway and CAVITEx when the C-5-CAVITEx link is inaugurated later this year and by 1st quarter 2019, changing traffic patterns at Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road when the first 7.0kms of CALAx from SLEx Mamplasan opens straight into the heart of West Grove and Nuvali townships.