The 32.7-kilometer road, also known as the South East Metro Manila Expressway, will aim to cut travel time for up to 150,000 motorists from nearly two hours to under 30 minutes.
SMC will operate the expressway for 30 years after the issuance of its operating permit.
Conglomerate ready to start once land is delivered
“We will start construction of the SEMME right away as soon as we have all our right-of-way,” Cecile Ang, chair of San Miguel Foundation, said during the agreement signing to link Ayala Land’s Arca South estate in Taguig to Skyway 4.
“We assure you San Miguel will remain a reliable partner in pursuing critical infra projects that will benefit our nation,” she added.
New expressway to bypass traffic-prone areas
In the same way Skyway Stage 3 created an alternate route between Quezon City and Makati, Skyway Stage 4 aims to do the same for the southern and eastern parts of Metro Manila.
“This 32.7-km toll road—a combination of elevated and at-grade expressways—will create a much-needed alternative route from Parañaque to Quezon City, bypassing traffic-heavy roads and easing congestion along EDSA and other key corridors,” said Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista during the same event.
“With San Miguel Corp. and Philippine National Construction Corp. at the helm, this P45.27-billion project underscores our commitment to long-term solutions for urban mobility,” he said.
Project details
Skyway 4 starts in the Food Terminal/Arca South project in Taguig and will follow the C5/Diego Silang and the existing C6 route.
From there, it runs along Laguna Lake, linking to Ortigas Avenue Extension in Pasig and Taytay.
The alignment continues toward Sumulong Highway in Antipolo, then follows Marcos Highway before reaching Tumana Bridge in San Mateo, Rizal, and ending at the Batasan Complex in Quezon City.
Timeline?
Projects of this scale take several years to develop and build, with timelines expected to extend due to right-of-way issues.
According to details released to reporters, Section 1A (Skyway to FTI), Section 1B (FTI to C5/Diego Silang), and Section 2 (C5/Diego Silang to C6/Taguig) will each take 24 months.
The remaining sections will take longer, with Section 3 (C6/Taguig to Ortigas Ave. Ext.), Section 4 (Ortigas Ave. Ext. to Marcos Highway), Section 5 (Marcos Highway to Tumana), and Section 6 (Tumana to Batasan) each requiring 36 months.
Miguel R. Camus has been a reporter covering various domestic business topics since 2009.