SMC opens new Skyway exit in Quezon City

MANILA, Philippines — Motorists headed out for the New Year can expect lighter traffic along the Quezon Avenue segment of the Skyway Stage 3, with the opening of a new exit for northbound motorists.

In an advisory over the weekend, San Miguel Corp. (SMC), operator of the Skyway System, said it has opened the Maria Clara Exit of Skyway Stage 3 in Quezon City.

The section serves as an extension of the Quezon Avenue Exit, facilitating traffic for northbound motorists in one of the busiest segments of Skyway Stage 3.

SMC chairman and chief executive officer Ramon Ang said the exit was opened in anticipation of the expected surge in vehicular traffic for the New Year revelry.

Usually, the northbound stretch of the Quezon Avenue Exit experiences vehicle buildup, especially during rush hour.

“We opened the Maria Clara Exit in time for the last long weekend of 2024, when many of our countrymen are traveling for New Year’s celebrations. The exit has been long awaited by motorists in Quezon City, who now have a convenient alternative,” Ang said.

He said the new Skyway exit would have the same toll as the northbound rates for Quezon Avenue.

Ang said the opening of the Maria Clara Exit would not have been possible without the interim permit issued by the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB), which saw the urgency to provide motorists with a secondary route when exiting the Skyway through Quezon Avenue.

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

Given that the permit is temporary, Ang said SMC is working on completing the remainder of its requirements with the TRB.

SMC also deployed highway patrol and road safety personnel close to the Maria Clara Exit to guide motorists.

Skyway Stage 3 starts from Gil Puyat Avenue in Makati and ends in Balintawak in Quezon City, leading to the North Luzon Expressway.

The project cuts travel time from point to point to 20 minutes, from two hours.

For New Year, SMC is waiving the toll for motorists passing through its expressways from 10 p.m. on Dec. 31 to 6 a.m. on Jan. 1, 2025.

Apart from managing the Skyway, SMC runs the NAIA Expressway, South Luzon Expressway, STAR Tollway and the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union Expressway.