'Sincerest apologies': Skyway operator sorry for heavy flooding at Bicutan
MANILA, Philippines — Skyway O&M Corp. expressed their apologies to motorists affected by the heavy flooding at Skyway At Grade (ground level) Bicutan in Parañaque City following moderate to heavy rains since Wednesday evening until today, resulting in heavy traffic on both directions of the expressway.
Standstill traffic was experienced today at the South Luzon Expressway southbound lane and nearby areas due to said flooding, a phenomenon the Toll Regulatory Board attributed to drainage improvement works of a nearby mall.
"Historically, this portion of the Skyway System has remained flood-free and we have consistently strived to maintain a smooth and reliable traffic flow for our valued users. Our maintenance teams conduct regular inspections at the drainage system to remove all obstructions such as sludge and garbage," according to the Skyway operator this Thursday.
"But over the past few months, the rise in floodwaters at the carriageway has become evident."
"These incidents were primarily due to a drainage system problem outside of the Skyway system, which we traced in February this year, due to ongoing construction works in the area that are unrelated to our operations and outside our direct control."
Tail end of northbound traffic, on the other hand, already reached SLEX Sta. Rosa.
— Gerard de la Peña (@gerarddelapena) July 13, 2023
Motorists were reportedly incensed due to the incident, with TV5 reporters even experiencing over four hours of traffic in the SLEX southbound.
Skyway O&M Corp. says that they're already in constant coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways and other government and private sector stakeholders to find a way to address the problem.
"In fact, we lent some of our equipment to help drain floodwater faster and deployed our maintenance teams to siphon off water from the carriageway," they continued.
"One of the stakeholders in the area is also currently working on the portion of the affected drainage system within their property, with the contractor committing to finish the outfall this month."
The company is hopeful that the said corrective action will restore the smooth flow of floodwaters to the nearby creek and put an end to the flooding at the Skyway At-Grade Bicutan.
Multiple cities affected
According to the Office of Civil Defense, the flooding situation at SLEX had already affected various cities due to the torrential rains.
Metro Manila and various parts of the country is currently experincing heavy rains due to the effects of a low pressure area coupled with the Southwest Moonsoon.
"Multiple areas in NCR particularly in the cities along the SLEX Alabang viaduct such as Taguig, Paranaque, Muntinlupa were affected," said the OCD in a statement.
Fortunately, no damages and casualties have been reported as of press time.
OFCD-NCR assures the public of its continous monitoring while coordinating with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for updates.
The MMDA have likewise already sent floating pumps to help reduce floodwater from SLEX that have been causing the heavy traffic.
— with reports from Ian Cigaral and News5
- Latest
- Trending
