The Metro Manila Skyway, officially the Metro Manila Skyway System (MMSS) or simply the Skyway, is an elevated highway serving as the main expressway of Metro Manila, Philippines. It connects the North and South Luzon Expressways (NLEX and SLEX) with access to Ninoy Aquino International Airport via the NAIA Expressway (NAIAX). It is the first fully grade-separated highway in the Philippines, one of the longest elevated highways in the world with a total length of approximately .
The expressway runs above major existing highways in Metro Manila and the San Juan River. It passes through the highly urbanized areas of Caloocan, Malabon, Quezon City, San Juan, Mandaluyong, Manila, Makati, Pasay, Taguig, Parañaque, and Muntinlupa, easing congestion on other major thoroughfares. The Skyway is accessible to Class 1 vehicles (i.e. cars, vans, motorcycles and above, pick-up trucks, and SUVs), Class 2 vehicles, and public utility vehicles (PUVs). Previously, Class 2 vehicles and PUVs were banned due to the construction of the SLEX Elevated Extension Project in Muntinlupa.
Route
The Skyway connects the North and South Luzon Expressways. It runs above several major roads in Metro Manila, with strategically located entry and exit ramps. The expressway is divided into four stages, from north to south: Stage 3: Balintawak (NLEX) exit in Caloocan to Buendia exit in Makati Stage 1: Buendia exit to near Bicutan exit in Parañaque Stage 2: Bicutan to South Station (Alabang-Zapote) Exit in Alabang, Muntinlupa South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Elevated Extension: (formerly known as the Skyway Extension and also known as Alabang South Skyway Extension) Skyway Main Line toll plaza to the South Luzon Expressway, both in Muntinlupa
Stages 1 and 2 are collectively known as the South Metro Manila Skyway Project.
From the North Luzon Expressway, the Skyway begins in Libis Baesa, Caloocan, about south of the Balintawak toll plaza. A possible connection to a future toll road to New Manila International Airport in Bulacan is at that exit. It enters Quezon City and after rising above the Balintawak Interchange (where it crosses EDSA), it turns east towards Circumferential Road 3 (C-3), particularly Sgt. Rivera and G. Araneta Avenues.
The expressway runs south above Gregorio Araneta Avenue until it reaches the San Juan River. The Skyway follows the river to its mouth at the Pasig River in San Juan, Mandaluyong, and Manila before turning towards the San Miguel Yamamura packaging plant (owned by Skyway concessionaire San Miguel Corporation) in Pandacan. There, it will meet the elevated connecting road to the NLEX Connector in Santa Mesa that will branch off parallel to the Philippine National Railways (PNR) right-of-way, which is being redeveloped for the North–South Commuter Railway (NSCR). The main expressway turns east onto Tomas Claudio Street (Paco–Santa Mesa Road) and Nagtahan Link Bridge towards Quirino Avenue (C-2). It then turns towards Osmeña Highway and enters Makati, where the Buendia exit is located.
The expressway rises and again crosses EDSA at the boundary of Osmeña Highway and South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) known as Magallanes Interchange and returns to its original level after crossing the said interchange. After its interchange with NAIAX, it descends to ground level because of height restrictions on structures near Ninoy Aquino International Airport and parallels SLEX and the PNR tracks at the Pasay–Taguig boundary. The Skyway again rises near the C-5 Exit and Arca South, entering Parañaque and returning above SLEX. At the Sucat Exit, the Skyway rises above the east end of Dr. A. Santos Avenue and descends as it approaches the main toll plaza in Cupang, Muntinlupa. After the toll plaza, it meets the SLEX Elevated Extension which connects it to SLEX past the Alabang Viaduct, narrows to three lanes, and curves west before joining Alabang–Zapote Road near South Station in Filinvest City, Alabang. The extension runs parallel to SLEX along the shoulder of the Alabang Viaduct and Manila South Road, crossing the Alabang and Filinvest exits and descending to merge with SLEX near Pleasant Village and Soldiers Hills.
The Metro Manila Skyway has various lane configurations. The Skyway Stage 1 and 2 were originally designed in a symmetric 3x3 lane configuration (3 lanes per direction), which was changed in 2020 to an asymmetric 4x3 lane configuration, with one additional lane in specific parts of the expressway. These segments are also subject to variable maximum speed limits, at and .
+ Number of lanes and maximum speed limits on the Metro Manila Skyway Segment Number of lanes Maximum speed limit Total Buses and vans Cars and motorcycles Balintawak – Sgt. Rivera 2 3 5 Sgt. Rivera – Quezon Avenue 3 3 6 Quezon Avenue – Pandacan 4 3 7 Pandacan – Quirino Avenue 3 3 6 Quirino Avenue – Buendia 4 3 7 Buendia – Sucat 3 4 7 Sucat – Skyway Main Toll Plaza 3 3 6 Skyway Main Toll Plaza – SLEX Elevated Extension 3 2 5
History
Conceptualization The concept of an elevated expressway system linking the northern and southern corridors of Metro Manila dates back to 1967 during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos. In October of that year, a committee on Manila elevated expressways, chaired by Highways Commissioner Baltazar Aquino, submitted a strong recommendation to President Marcos for the construction of "elevated streets" to ease the travel woes of commuters between the north and south of Manila. The proposed idea was planned in two phases: the first phase extending from Mabini Bridge in Manila to the Balintawak Interchange in Quezon City, and the second phase stretching from the south end of Mabini Bridge to the Manila South Diversion Road. The project was envisioned to utilize foreign financing and drew on preliminary feasibility studies conducted by a Japanese firm.
A year later, a preliminary study conducted by Nippon Kaigai Consultants Corporation proposed a network consisting of three routes:Caliwag, Felix M. "A Neat Network in and About Manila." The Sunday Times Magazine, reprinted by Memories of Old Manila. First route (Mabini Expressway): Second route: Third route:
In the 1973 Urban Transport Study in Manila Metropolitan Area (UTSMMA) conducted by the Overseas Technical Cooperation Agency (OTCA), an extensive high-speed urban expressway network was conceptualized for Metro Manila to alleviate severe traffic congestion along major arterial roads. Instead of a standalone corridor, the study proposed an elevated expressway alignment running directly above EDSA, which was designed to serve as a high-capacity outer ring bypass integrating with radial expressways to channel through-traffic away from the inner city core.
In January 1988, Manila Councilor Jaime de la Rosa proposed a network of elevated highways (skyways) to be constructed over the Philippine National Railways (PNR) tracks, running from one end of the city to the other. Under this proposal, the skyway would utilize the right of way of the PNR for its railway operations, with PNR officials reportedly amenable to the project. To help recover the massive investments required, government officials considered charging toll fees. This was part of a broader look into elevated highway systems—including separate routes from Nagtahan to Caloocan, and from Vito Cruz to Cubao—aimed at addressing Metro Manila's worsening traffic problems.
Development and planning In 1992, the government proposed the idea of building an elevated expressway from Quirino Avenue in Manila to Alabang, Muntinlupa, spanning . This project would have been a build–operate–transfer (BOT) scheme, and at the time of its development, Parañaque Rep. Roilo Golez won the support of many congressmen to make a proposal to relieve congestion on the existing South Luzon Expressway with a segment between Magallanes and Alabang. In December 1992, House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. sought to build second-storey highways in Metro Manila to ease traffic congestion. At the same time, President Fidel V. Ramos asked the House Speaker and House Public Works Committee Chairman, Rep. Victor Francisco Ortega (La Union–1st), to pass the solidated five-year Public Works Act before February 1993 to include the proposal of elevated highways in the region.
In 1993, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) conducted a study on the proposed urban expressway system in Metro Manila. The master plan for the planned network was meant to have of expressways, including a route on the Radial Road 3 (R-3) alignment from Quirino Avenue to Alabang, with the total length of about . It also included routes on the Quirino Avenue, San Juan River and Circumferential Road 3 (C-3) alignments as the proposed Inner Circumferential Expressway from Adriatico Street in Malate, Manila to Radial Road 10 (R-10) in Navotas, with a length of and on the Radial Road 9 (R-9) alignment from C-3 in Quezon City to North Luzon Expressway in Caloocan, with a length of . In the same year, Metro Manila Skyway was launched.
The agreement was supplemented on February 14, 1994, with a related undertaking by Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada (CITRA). CITRA was to provide a preliminary feasibility study on the Metro Manila Skyways (MMS) project, a system of elevated roadway networks passing through the heart of the Metropolitan Manila area. To accelerate the actual implementation of both the Metro Manila Expressway (MME, also known as the C-6 Road and later known as the Southeast Metro Manila Expressway) and the MMS projects, PNCC and CITRA entered into a second agreement. Through that agreement, CITRA committed to finance and undertake the preparation, updating, and revalidation of previous studies on the construction, operation, and maintenance of the projects.
CITRA, a Jakarta-based investor, owned by Siti Hardiyanti Rukmana (a daughter of Indonesian President Suharto), signed a Supplemental Toll Operation Agreement (STOA) in November 1995 with the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) as a grantor and the Philippine National Construction Corporation (PNCC) as operator. Negotiations began on October 31, 1994, with a group composed of representatives from the Board of Investments (BOI), the Department of Finance (DOF), AIA Capital as a financial adviser, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the TRB, the PNCC, and CITRA. Under the STOA, Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corporation (CMMTC) was mandated to finance, design, and construct Stage 1 of the South Metro Manila Tollway Project (an elevated expressway from Bicutan to Buendia) and rehabilitate the at-grade portion of the South Metro Manila Tollway project from Magallanes to Alabang. The STOA was approved by President Ramos in April 1996.
Stage 1
Stage 1 involved the rehabilitation of the at-grade portion of South Luzon Expressway from Magallanes to Alabang and the construction of a six-lane, elevated expressway above it from Buendia to Bicutan. Construction of Stage 1 began on November 27, 1995, with actual work beginning in the following year. The first pier head rotation was launched by President Ramos in Easter 1996. The girder launching technology was used during the construction. Special girder launchers were used to lift the girders, minimizing the traffic disruption along the South Luzon Expressway. The contact was awarded to a joint venture of Hutama Karya and Taiwanese RSEA.
The Magallanes–Bicutan segment was inaugurated by President Joseph Estrada on December 10, 1998, followed by the Buendia–Magallanes segment. The Magallanes and Bicutan exits, as well as Skyway Toll Plazas A and B, were the first to be completed, followed by the Buendia and Makati (now Amorsolo) exits. The Don Bosco exit started its construction on November 17, 2001, and opened on January 3, 2002, and the construction of NAIA Interchange followed, lasting from March 17, 2004, to its completion on May 30, 2009. CMMTC spent US$32.7 million () on the portion of Stage 1.