Partial closure of Skyway, SLEx scheduled due to C5 South Link construction

A stop-and-go traffic scheme will be implemented on the Skyway and South Luzon Expressway (SLEx) starting Sept. 29 until Nov. 22 for the construction of Circumferential Road 5 (C5) South Link Expressway, government concessionaire Metro Pacific group said.
In a statement released on Thursday, CAVITEX Infrastructure Corp. (CIC) of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) said the partial closure of the roads is necessary to complete the toll road project on schedule.
The stop-and-go traffic scheme will run daily from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. with 15-minute intervals. CIC President Luigi L. Bautista said traffic aides will assist motorists during the period.
“We would like to seek the understanding and patience of all motorists using the Skyway and SLEx between Nichols Toll Plaza and Bicutan. We as well advise them to plan their trips and look for alternative routes. Partial closure of Skyway and SLEX during off-peak hours is necessary when we position and install the girders,” Mr. Bautista said in the statement.
CIC is set to open the first 2.2 kilometers — near Merville, Parañaque — of the 7.7-kilometer C5 South Link Expressway by the end of March next year. The P10-billion toll road project will connect C5 to the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway (CAVITEx).
Mr. Bautista said setting up the girders is a “critical activity” in the construction of the six-lane highway.
Once the C5 South Link is done, the project is expected to reduce travel time from Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Cavite to Taguig from the usual 90 minutes to 20-30 minutes. It is “expected to benefit some 50,000 cars by decongesting Sales Road in Pasay and EDSA when it starts commercial operations,” CIC said in the statement.
“C5 South Link is progressing as scheduled. When completed, the road will provide motorists from Parañaque, Las Piñas, and Cavite direct access to C5,” Mr. Bautista added.
CIC is a subsidiary of MPTC, the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).
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