The first stage of the Skyway System consists of the construction of the 9.5-kilometer elevated road from Bicutan, Parañaque City to the Makati Central Business District as well as the rehabilitation of the 13.5-kilometer section of the South Luzon Expressway from Alabang to Magallanes.

When Skyway Stage 1 first opened to traffic in 1999, an average of 160,000 vehicles per day used the Skyway System—around 25,000 on the elevated and 135,000 on the at-grade—with these numbers increasing in subsequent years. Millions of commuters now use the Skyway System everyday, and they have all benefited from the concrete benefits of the completed project.

Before the Skyway System, a trip from Alabang to Magallanes took about two hours on the average. With the Skyway Stage 1 in operation, it now takes only 30 minutes or less to travel on the Alabang-Magallanes at-grade section and less than 15 minutes on the elevated section. Motorists have also been enjoying the excellent road condition, expert traffic management, less pollution and no flooding on the Skyway System.

Skyway Stage 1 has already afforded thousands of motorists enormous savings since its soft opening in December 1998, slashing travel time from the snail-paced southern arteries to the Makati Central Business District by as much as 50%.

Fast Facts

Contractor

• Hutama – RSEA JO., Inc.: Lead contractor

Milestones

• April 7, 1995: Groundbreaking of Skyway Stage 1 in Magallanes.
  
  
• December 10, 1998: Inauguration of the Skyway Stage 1, Phase 1- known as the Villamor-Bicutan portion.
  
  
• December 11, 1998: Soft opening of Stage 1 Phase 1 to traffic.
  
  

• June 1999:  Completion of all works at the elevated section from Magallanes to Buendia including the On and Off Ramps in Amorsolo, Pasay Road and Buendia, and total rehabilitation of the at-grade section from Magallanes to Alabang, including, among others, new toll plazas, treetlight system and perimeter fences.
  
  
• October 1999: Start of full operations of the entire Skyway Stage 1.
  
  
• August 2000:  Launching of the first computerized toll collection system in the country, highlighting the E-Pass, or the contactless toll payment system.