Starting June 5 up to June 16, 2017, the operator of the Skyway System and the Naia Expressway (NAIAx) will implement a traffic safety and security operation dubbed as Oplan Balik Eskwela 2017.
The traffic safety and security management department of Skyway O&M Corp. (Somco) expects the traffic build-up at the major entry/exit points of Skyway System and Naia Expressway (NAIAx) and other traffic-prone stretches of the tollway when schools open on June 5.
Motorists are advised to anticipate heavy traffic during the morning hours on Alabang Viaduct up to Skyway Main Toll Plaza B, C5 and Nichols toll plazas and on the Magallanes area on the northbound at-grade section; and at Skyway Alabang toll plaza up to Skyway Main Toll Plaza A, Skyway Main Plaza B and the approach of Runway Toll Plaza, the Magallanes, Don Bosco, Amorsolo and Buendia Off-ramps and the NAIAx Old Toll Plaza on the elevated section.
During the early evening hours, traffic peaks at the NAIAx Ph 1, Doña Soledad and Dr. A. Santos Off-ramps of the elevated section.
Meanwhile, evening peak traffic hours at the southbound direction are expected at the Magallanes-NAIAx entry ramp, C5-Bicutan-Sucat-Alabang at-grade section; and at the Magallanes-NAIAx entry ramp, approach of Doña Soledad and Dr. A Santos Off-ramps, Skyway Main Toll Plaza A and Skyway Off-ramp to Alabang, on the elevated section.
In coordination with the local police units, the PNP Highway Patrol Groups and the concerned local units, all involved departments and the traffic safety units Somco will be in full-force operation during this period to ensure a safer and more convenient travel. Support groups like Lifeline Rescue Ambulances, Blue Light ambulances, AAP Lingkod Towing Services and the Quick Response Team, among others, will be strategically deployed on the tollway to help the Somco operatives manage the flow of traffic and keep the Skyway and NAIAx motorists safe.
Adequate number of traffic control personnel and ambulant tellers will be deployed on traffic-dense plazas to speed up entry/exit transactions and minimize vehicle queueing. Highly visible traffic and security patrols and road maintenance personnel will be on hand to promptly assist distressed motorists or clear road crash sites. Days-off and leave applications are momentarily suspended.
The Skyway Command Centers will intensify their round-the-clock operations in monitoring traffic situation and reporting unusual incidents or emergencies.
Somco will also coordinate with and assist Manila Toll Expressway Systems Inc. (MATES) and Star Tollway Corp. (STC), operators of South Luzon Expressway and Star Tollway, respectively, in their traffic safety operations in the early days of school opening when students and summer vacationers from the southern provinces troop back to Metro Manila.
Meanwhile Somco, MATES and STC remind motorists to keep their vehicles roadworthy and obey all tollway traffic rules to avoid unfortunate road incidents. Since students make up a large part of pedestrian traffic in the interchanges, parents and teachers are advised to remind the children to be careful and alert when commuting and to obey rules like using proper pedestrian crossing and waiting in the designated loading areas for public utility vehicles.
For roadside assistance, motorists can call the Skyway System hotline at (02) 318 8655 (TOLL); SLEX hotline at 0917 6877539 (OURSLEX); and STAR at 0908 865-7827 (STAR). For traffic update, follow @officialSLEX and @SkywaySOMCO on twitter.”30