Old Manila-Makati marker out; Skyway 3 in

A LANDMARK GIVES WAY This decades-old boundary marker between Makati City and Manila is set for demolition tonight by the builders of the Skyway Stage 3 project. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Starting 11 p.m. Friday up to 5 a.m. the next day, motorists are advised to avoid Osmeña Highway, particularly the 200-meter section between Zobel Roxas and Fahrenheit Streets, and use alternative routes.

All of Osmeña’s three northbound lanes and four of the six southbound lanes between these streets will be closed to traffic for the scheduled demolition of the old Manila-Makati boundary marker, according to Ely dela Cruz, head of the Skyway Stage 3 traffic management group.

The marker is being removed to give way to the construction of Skyway Stage 3 columns and pierheads.

The two southbound lanes that will remain open may be used by both northbound and southbound motorists on a stop-and-go traffic scheme.

Directional signboards pointing to alternative routes have been put up since Oct. 21.

Skyway Stage 3 is the 14.8-kilometer elevated tollway, with eight access points, that will connect South Luzon Expressway with North Luzon Expressway from Buendia in Makati City to Balintawak in Quezon City.

The project aims to decongest traffic in Metro Manila’s major thoroughfares like Edsa, C5 and roads in central Manila. To date, 20 massive columns have been erected on Osmeña and construction of the pierheads has also started.