San Miguel Corp. said Tuesday it will start collecting toll on the P80-billion Skyway Stage 3 starting July 12 using a revised toll fee matrix that is lower than the original proposed rates, particularly for motorists traveling shorter distances.
The company, through SMC Infrastructure, secured a toll operating permit and a notice to start collecting toll from the Toll Regulatory Board on Skyway Stage 3.
The company said it would post the final approved toll at the toll plazas prior to the start of collection. It has provided free use of its 18-kilometer Skyway Stage 3 project to the public for nearly seven months.
SMC president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said the revised toll matrix, as approved by the TRB, considered the impact of the pandemic on the economy and on Filipinos.
“We thank the TRB for helping us determine the most equitable toll rates for our motorists. We know from experience that times are hard for many, and even a little relief for motorists can go a long way. These toll rates reflect our deferral of the collection of a substantial amount of the cost to build Skyway 3. We also further lowered the rates for those traveling shorter distances,” SMC president Ramon Ang said.
Ang said the toll would provide the company revenues to ensure continued efficient operations, maintenance and safe driving conditions on the elevated expressway—particularly as daily traffic puts a heavy strain on the road infrastructure, necessitating significant maintenance costs.
Prior to the soft-opening of Skyway 3 at the end of December last year, SMC opened the Buendia to Plaza Dilao section of the elevated expressway in July 2019. The northbound Quirino off-ramp was then opened in December.
Skyway Stage 3 also allowed motorists to fully experience seamless connection from South Luzon Expressway to North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and vice versa.
It reduced the travel time from Alabang to Balintawak and vice versa, to only 30 minutes from the previous three hours, and from Buendia to Balintawak, to only 20 minutes—saving motorists not only precious time but also fuel and maintenance costs.
With a capacity of 200,000 vehicles per day, it also decongested traffic on major Metro Manila thoroughfares including Edsa and C-5.
With the start of toll collection, government can also start generating significant income from the expressway, as it imposes a 12-percent VAT on the toll.
SMC, which fully-funded the construction of the project with no government funds or guarantees, spent over P80 billion—more than double its original cost—to complete the project over a period that spans two administrations.
Much of the delays and additional costs were due to numerous contentious right-of-way issues that caused major redesigns and realignments. SMC also shouldered the cost of reconstructing three Metro Manila bridges.
