Skyway 3 to be toll-free for frontliners, SMC says

SAN MIGUEL Corp. (SMC) on Wednesday said medical frontliners are allowed to use the newly opened Skyway Stage 3 for free.

“This means that even when the expressway starts collecting toll fees after the current free use period for the public set by Skyway 3, medical frontliners will still continue to benefit from toll-free passage,” the company said in an e-mailed statement.

SMC President Ramon S. Ang said the company has waived a total of P156 million in toll fees as of Jan. 18, 2021.

The expressway’s operator has formally asked the Toll Regulatory Board to allow it to start collecting fees ranging from P110 to P274.

The SMC-funded expressway is toll-free until Feb. 1.

“In the first two weeks since it was soft-opened, Skyway 3 recorded an average of 71,000 vehicles per day. Fully operational, Skyway 3 can easily accommodate 200,000 vehicles or half of daily Edsa traffic,” Mr. Ang said.

The elevated expressway was seen to reduce travel time from the South Luzon Expressway in Alabang to the North Luzon Expressway to about 30 minutes from about three hours. — Arjay L. Balinbin