After connecting North and South of Metro Manila with its P70 billion Skyway 3, San Miguel Corporation (SMC)'s next move is to link East and West of the metropolis via the P95.40 Billion Pasig River Expressway (PAREX).
"By providing seamless access between north and south, we unlock the true potential of our provinces,” says SMC president Ramon S. Ang. “This is a game-changer for our economy, especially now that we are still dealing with the pandemic."
However, SMC’s efforts to help the country and the economy does not stop with the Skyway Stage 3 project, he pledged to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in today's (January 14) opening of Skyway Stage 3 connecting South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) and North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).
“We will continue work to further decongest Metro Manila by linking east and west of the metropolis, through the PAREX project,” Ang promised.
The Pasig River Expressway project is a 19.4-kilometer, six-lane elevated expressway along the banks of the Pasig River that will complete the north-south, east-west link, connecting R-10 in Manila, Edsa, and C5 and decongesting Rizal, Cainta, and Marikina.
The project can be completed by 2023, according to the SMC President.
The PAREX will provide faster, alternative access to the business districts Makati, Ortigas, and BGC.
Furthermore, the PAREX poses a “solution within a solution”— decongesting Metro Manila traffic with minimal disruption on existing cities and roads, at the same time, cleaning up the entire length of the Pasig River and alleviating the flood problems of the metropolis.
Meanwhile, SMC has also started construction of its Manila International Airport project in Bulacan province, according to Ang.
Touted as the single-largest investment ever in the Philippines, the airport project will connect to major thoroughfares in the metropolis.
It will have four-parallel runways and modern, world-class facilities.
The airport project opens in 2025, after the 2023 opening of two major expressways connecting to it.
Both the PAREX and the Bulacan airport projects will be connected to the Skyway system, further extending the country’s infrastructure network.