Philippine expressway system

bing101 · January 15, 2021, 12:45:40 PM

Quote from: noelbotevera on January 08, 2021, 10:17:35 PM
My family's roots lie in the Philippines - mostly in the Manila Metro. Actually, my great grandfather even ran the Bureau of Internal Revenue in 1965, right at the start of Ferdinand Marcos' administration. My family eventually left in 2003 when my mother was offered a job in North Carolina.

So most of my Philippine road knowledge is purely historical - might be worthwhile.

-A trip from Baguio to Manila originally took 4.5 hours. You would take the North Expressway from Quezon City to Bulacan, then the MacArthur Highway, to Kennon Road. An alternate route was built sometime in the '70s or '80s -the Marcos Highway, which was a modern 2 or 4 lane road to Baguio. After 1991, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo lengthened the trip to 6 hours - various roads were buried and bypasses had to be rebuilt.
-Taxis are hard to find in Manila. Your best bet was to use a jeepney or a tricycle.
-EDSA and the Manila Metro is infamous for its gridlocked traffic. My dad's 10 (or 15?) km commute took him over two hours on most days, since he lived in Novaliches but commuted inward into Manila.
-EDSA also was gridlocked because of a lack of pedestrian overpasses - most crossed EDSA's 8 lanes at grade. Which meant traffic signals, at most every street.
-The Philippines' roads were mostly designed and built by the US - some date to the Spanish era. However, the US granted the Philippines independence in 1946, years before the Interstate system. This means there is a severe lack of freeways (as of 2003, it mostly consisted of the NLEX and SLEX; cities like Cebu, Davao, and especially Baguio lacked freeway systems).
-Driving in the Philippines can be best described as chaotic. New Yorkers don't hold a candle to the insanity that is Manila drivers. Surprisingly, street racing isn't common - instead, people are trying to kill each other with their cars; that includes the buses, jeepneys, bicycles...
-Similarly, car parts are often stolen from parked cars. Side mirrors are often lost because of side swiping incidents.

As of 2021 the Philippines was in the process of decentraling their economy such as moving jobs or management away from Manila to Clark and Cebu areas. This is the Philippines version of "Big Tech" moving jobs away from San Francisco Bay area to Texas situation. Like San Francisco Bay Area had to face in the USA the Manila Area had to deal with gentrification, economic centralization, income inequality, Building their cities on former marshland and yes earthquakes faults within the city is what Manila had to face.

TheStranger · January 15, 2021, 08:33:37 PM

Driver does roadtrip from NLEX in Valenzuela to Tagaytay, using NLEX, Skyway, SLEX, and CALAX before taking local roads to access the tourist community. 1 hour 51 minute video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBLRxg0UvH0

Some construction on the right shoulder of the southbound lanes of NLEX approaching Skyway - will this be the future Skyway right of way to connect to New Manila International Airport?

Also, ZERO advance signage of the NLEX south to Skyway south ramp at all, no distance markers, indication that is the next exit, nothing at all from Smart Connect Interchange (now Harbor Link Interchange) to the ramp. For that matter, no indication that EDSA and A. Bonifacio Avenue are coming up shortly as well! The only navigational sign that entire stretch (with no advance warning as well) is a rather small one for the Libis Baesa exit just before the Skyway ramp.

After only an hour and 9 minutes, the driver in this video leaves the expressway system and has to contend with a slow rural road to get to Tagaytay.

Here's a screencap of the tiny Libis Baesa sign:

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Another video of all lanes being open on Skyway Stage 3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_KMxwwHrBs

TheStranger · January 16, 2021, 03:42:40 AM

Two cool evening shots of Skyway Stage 3:

https://www.facebook.com/SecMarkVillar/photos/a.809996409016339/4310323338983611/?type=3

https://www.facebook.com/discoverasean10/photos/a.789563851228791/1577679865750515/

ABS-CBN article on the positive effects of having a through expressway route in Metro Manila for the first time:
https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/01/16/21/motorists-encounter-less-traffic-in-ncr-after-skyway-3-opening

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Northbound video of Skyway Stage 3, but starting just north of the Magallanes Interchange along Osmena Highway/SLEX. Noticeably lighter traffic on Osmena until Pasay Road (Arnaiz Avenue). However, the northbound ramp configuration in which Skyway's exit ramp to Buendia merges with the SLEX/Osmena exit lanes, only for the onramp to Skyway Stage 3 to begin very shortly after northbound onramp to Osmena...lane-switching issues pretty apparent as motorists coming off of the Buendia Flyover segment of this highway want to cut over to the full expressway above. (IMO, having a little bit of a C/D setup here and using K-rail to divide traffic from the flyover that is staying on Osmena and traffic that wants to access the Skyway really would help, along with extending the rightmost auxiliary lane from the Buendia-Osmena onramp to the Osmena-Skyway Stage 3 onramp)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVpmNVKi9tI

Traffic at the Quezon Avenue offramp northbound is becoming a consistent issue, even with the exit only configurations now expanded to a full 2 lanes. Still dealing with a long line of cars backing up into the mainline.

Construction at Sgt. Rivera flyover ramp from NB Skyway continues:

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Neat view of the Skyway from miles to the west in Manila.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0vp28adWXk

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Another northbound journey but showing the awkward merge from the Buendia Flyover of Osmena Highway north to the Skyway onramp. Less traffic at this hour though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRRxHkjRcQk

TheStranger · January 16, 2021, 03:49:38 PM

Photos of construction work on the Southeast Metro Manila Expressway. Commenter later responded that this is near the current C-5 interchange with Bayani Road in Taguig, where SEMME will split to the southwest towards FTI/Skyway. From here northeast, it will follow C-5 until the Pasig River Expressway.

https://www.skyscrapercity.com/threads/c6-bulacan-rizal-taguig-highway-southeast-metro-manila-expressway.465078/post-171579616

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Short video clip of an overhead view of Skyway Stage 3 from a high-rise in western Quezon City.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR7hJxg483w

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Southbound journey from Valenzuela to Carmona in the morning. The driver in this video used NLEX, all of the Skyway from Caloocan/Balintawak to Alabang, and then SLEX to reach Carmona.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsogJuNAd_Y

New drone video of Skyway Stage 3 in use!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj_tCU3uXzo

Some observations from the drone video:

- lane markings now on northbound Skyway near Quezon Avenue, and the northbound onramp is now paved in asphalt.

- the onramp from the Santa Mesa Bridge has only been built for a few feet coming off of the northbound Skyway lanes; very little work has been done on the bridge itself.

- Still a while before the southbound Plaza Dilao offramp is ready.

- Planned 5-lane configuration in the Balintawak stretch of road?

- Lots of potential right of way in Pandacan for a large interchange with the Pasig River Expressway. Also lots of right of way where Shakey's used to be at Osmena and Quirino, should it ever be needed for the Quirino Avenue Extension of the Skyway towards Malate.

- The lane markings throughout the Osmena Highway corridor portion of Skyway Stage 3 are the standard dotted white lines, as opposed to the solid white lines through San Juan and north. Makes me wonder if the solid lines are for areas that are still awaiting paving and the addition of center dividers.

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Another of the many Skyway videos with a timer to measure the efficiency of the route, but this time with (most) of the lanes open.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7Lgp_7pXZA

bing101 · January 17, 2021, 10:44:25 AM

New roadgeek tour by Pinoy Joyride.

TheStranger · January 17, 2021, 01:02:33 PM

Photo of the Pandacan double-deck section of Skyway Stage 3.
https://www.skyscrapercity.com/threads/metro-manila-skyway.1492516/post-171592886

TheStranger · January 18, 2021, 04:14:16 PM

Saw this in several of the recent Skyway Stage 3 videos - SMC's temporary solution to address the awful backups at the northbound Quezon Avenue exit is having the right two lanes function as exit-only. This however does not address that the ramp itself narrows down to one lane before landing at Araneta Avenue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md9uKclmlo0

As such, the original gore point is now 300 meters north of the current exit split:

For comparison, no lane markings in that area several days ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OojFaFpIzS0

And noticeable backup when there was only one exit-only lane on Friday:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4f1ejFowjM

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Another evening drive video of the Skyway, this time in inclement weather. Good way of seeing how much the streetlights help with illuminating the road (especially with the dark asphalt surface).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoWBW79_tOo

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Plaza Dilao area underneath the Skyway now that the expressway is open

https://youtu.be/uZbqQfW06LA

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Short video of the Pasig River/San Juan River viaduct of Skyway Stage 3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv6G0OEBiKw

TheStranger · January 19, 2021, 01:07:23 AM

Video of C-5 and its part-boulevard, part-expressway alignment (including the temporary alignment in Quezon City along Congressional Avenue and Mindanao Avenue)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxXT8VmhQqM

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Northbound trip on Skyway Stage 3 with lane striping work continuing on the stretch in Balintawak:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WyC4Trlwck

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Inquirer article on Skyway Stage 3 toll rates. It does seem that if one travels from Buendia to any of the Manila exits (Quirino, Nagtahan) that that would be one toll rate of PHP110.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1385447/proposed-toll-for-newly-opened-skyway-3-ranges-from-p110-to-p274

bing101 · January 19, 2021, 11:54:59 AM

Here is an update on the CCLEX Bridge.

TheStranger · January 19, 2021, 05:56:11 PM

Night view of the Skyway southbound. Noticeable here are more lane markings in Balintawak and the lack of southbound lighting along the San Juan River section. The Manila segment (specifically Pandacan west to the Quirino/Osmena bend) does not look to be well lit either.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xnawof-W_XA

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Box girders being put in place for the NLEX Connector mainline, looks like this is in Caloocan.
https://www.facebook.com/pinoyjoyride/posts/4217800891568654

https://www.facebook.com/pinoyjoyride/posts/4217855904896486

TheStranger · January 20, 2021, 01:50:54 AM

New lane marking for the NLEX SB-Skyway SB ramp near Libis Baesa/Balintawak, similar to the US practice of painting on route shields on pavement near interchanges!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt8MTXypY10

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One of THE most interesting info posts on the history of Skyway Stage 3, based on a comment in another article.
https://www.skyscrapercity.com/threads/metro-manila-skyway.1492516/post-171630827

I created a map that represents the three past proposed alignments, waiting to see from other commenters if this is accurate:

TheStranger · January 20, 2021, 10:05:29 AM

Update on NLEX Connector. Looks like there will be for sure a Santa Mesa exit from the new expressway (though probably a 2022 opening for that - the first section of this road being worked on is the Caloocan-Espana Boulevard run).

This will provide the missing access to the district that hadn't yet been provided when the San Juan River realignment constrained room for any northbound ramps to Aurora Boulevard.

https://www.skyscrapercity.com/threads/nlex-connector.1518081/post-171632534

X99 · January 20, 2021, 12:34:11 PM

I'm a little confused on the 7-lane configuration of the Skyway in some of those videos. Is it striped for three lanes in each direction with an emergency lane, or is it a 3+4?

TheStranger · January 20, 2021, 01:39:19 PM

Quote from: X99 on January 20, 2021, 12:34:11 PM
I'm a little confused on the 7-lane configuration of the Skyway in some of those videos. Is it striped for three lanes in each direction with an emergency lane, or is it a 3+4?

3+4 I think at present BUT not in any sort of consistent manner (i.e. some portions are 4 northbound/3 southbound, others are 4 southbound/3 northbound, and it looks like in the Balintawak area near the Ayala Cloverleaf mall it is only wide enough to be 2 northbound/3 southbound).

With the current traffic load, I feel like the middle lane really could be used as a shoulder once a permanent barrier is installed in those 7-lane stretches, but unclear when San Miguel Corporation will finally get a length-to-length K-rail or metal guardrail installed for the Pandacan-Balintawak stretch. The Quezon Avenue northbound congestion also has shown that SMC is willing to experiment with lane configurations on a real-time basis to try to alleviate the ramp backup.

The official discussions for what the toll rate will be also are interesting: the free period of travel this month, according to official stats, has averaged 50K ADT along the Buendia-Balintawak stretch - enough for the public to notice improvements in EDSA traffic, even if EDSA is still above its 288K ADT stated capacity. (EDSA pre-Skyway Stage 3 was around 430K ADT or so). The toll rates have been noted as expensive by folks at SkyscraperCity and certainly not the original 2011-2014 projections, but those didn't factor in San Miguel having to acquire the river right of way between Pandacan and Santa Mesa. IMO a balance has to be achieved between recovering the cost of the road and trying to encourage any traffic going to NAIA/Manila/Makati from the north or towards NLEX and Clark from the south to avoid EDSA entirely.

I'm still on the fence to if the Skyway should be emphasized as the main corridor towards the heart of Quezon City, due to the Quezon Avenue ramp backup. That in fact is the only planned northbound offramp between the proposed PAREX split in Santa Ana and the E. Rodriguez ramp that leads out towards Caloocan (as compared to southbound Skyway getting QC exits at A. Bonifacio/Sgt. Rivera, Quezon Avenue, and E. Rodriguez/Bayani) and while it is a decent enough route to North EDSA/Trinoma, not sure the existing Quezon Avenue surface road is well-suited for reaching Diliman or Batasan from Skyway. (Batasan in particular is planned to get expressway access from NLEX in Valenzuela via the extension of NLEX Segment 8.2/C-5 Expressway, as well as the SEMME spur going east from Luzon Avenue.)

In the past, a Quezon Avenue/R-7 Expressway has been planned but neither NLEX nor SMC are pursuing that project. (That said, now knowing the Skyway Stage 3 project has roots in 1971 corridor planning, this doesn't mean it won't be revisited in the far future, just that it is not being considered actively unlike PAREX, Shoreline Expressway, SEMME towards FTI, etc.)

Ortigas and Cubao are two districts firmly in the EDSA corridor that the Skyway doesn't serve, though the east PAREX segment will offer potential BGC access and indirect access to the Ortigas area.

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Here are the lane configurations so far for Skyway Stage 3, based on these two videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLV1YjWphlY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji1Nwv5cfIM
Buendia-Quirino: 3 SB, 4 NB
Quirino-Tomas Claudio: 3 SB, 3 NB
Tomas Claudio-The Marketplace Mall: 4 SB (but currently functioning with work on rightmost lanes), 3 NB
The Marketplace Mall-Santa Mesa: 3 SB, 4 NB
Santa Mesa-Bayani Street: 4 SB (with two lanes blocked off for maintenance work), 3 NB
Bayani Street-Quezon Avenue: 3 SB, 4 NB
Quezon Avenue NB offramp area: 3 SB, 2 NB, 2 NB exiting to Araneta/Quezon
Quezon Avenue overpass: 3 SB, 4 NB
Quezon Avenue to Del Monte toll plaza: 3 SB, 3 NB
Del Monte to Sgt. Rivera: 3 SB, 3 NB
Sgt. Rivera NB offramp: 4 SB, 2 NB, 1 NB exiting to Sgt. Rivera/5th Avenue
Sgt. Rivera to Balintawak Cloverleaf: 3 SB, 2 NB
Temporary configuration from Balintawak Cloverleaf to NLEX near Libis Baesa: 1 SB, 1 NB

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New signage for the San Juan River section and Quezon Avenue overpass, from the first video link:

TheStranger · January 21, 2021, 03:21:44 AM

Interesting: This new article on the Skyway Stage 3 actually estimates the ADT now at 71K, with potential to expand to 200K ADT once fully built out (essentially taking over for more than 50% of EDSA's traffic).

Certainly the videos so far show the road is well under capacity even with many drivers checking it out in the past 3 weeks.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/smc-free-toll-medical-frontliners-000000954.html

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new Skyway Stage 3 southbound video. At 8:37, one can see how even the two-lane exit only setup for Quezon Avenue from northbound Skyway is still not enough to alleviate the backup for that offramp:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udvnQM778ow

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Another Skyway Stage 3 video from later in the day and numerous new blue location/overpass signs have been installed by SMC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEaRS6OeZXM

EDSA, Balintawak

A. Bonifacio, just south of Cloverleaf mall

Sgt. Rivera, east of A. Bonifacio

Del Monte Toll Plaza

Quezon Avenue (southbound crossing)

E. Rodriguez (note that this sign appears BEFORE the exit labeled "E. Rodriguez" that actually lands closer to Bayani Street)

Osmena Highway in Manila (San Andres Bukid)

Buendia, Makati

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New video of the area around the Nagtahan ramp complex and footage of the Plaza Dilao southbound onramp:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiTWoES9jeE

TheStranger · January 22, 2021, 05:04:14 AM

Evening construction work on the Skyway Extension between Susana Heights and Alabang
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHelRWaaLjU

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Dmitri Valencia/Pinoy Joyride photos of construction work at the Skyway Stage 3 offramps near Plaza Dilao
https://www.facebook.com/pinoyjoyride/posts/4223644937650916?__cft__

=AZUAa4vtzYk0fOnCnqeKCdWpSxfTrklbYapnvqNgqPP9lfL3mdU5m8fw5ZPtIKrbRHJedOra0yOvGsSFzWxqemc4jMMULO_iQ81TGdREWXh-ROuLeALQ2L3rsfCaU95gEXWWnE-f0JSImKOmSwRlCozI&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

New girder beams in Balintawak for the future Skyway mainline towards NMIA
https://www.facebook.com/pinoyjoyride/posts/4224053197610090?__cft__
=AZXbBWlq7GjVFBPwf8OkHZGB3mAP5FnUgvJEmQAr5lss0INEZjGwa0S7CyXO1RHlO3cdfZeIze6tM4Cl0su9EXy7svHHO2VDlKhHj24fb5ftp2keNr7M7IioRq1S66HOaURZIATp598mtt7qT6o4Oxh4&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

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Night overhead view of where Skyway Stage 3 bends from Sgt. Rivera/5th Avenue towards A. Bonifacio at the Caloocan/Quezon City border:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28mxrOWlxe0

Construction video of the work done to get the San Juan River section in place:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YILIdl4YfSs

TheStranger · January 22, 2021, 03:21:03 PM

New northbound location identifier signs along Skyway Stage 3, starting right after the Buendia offramp:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14E0xCJYM3M

Buendia

Osmena Highway, Manila (somewhat of a misnomer northbound - all of Skyway follows the entirety of Osmena Highway from SLEX/Arnaiz Avenue to Quirino Avenue)

Pandacan, right across from Paco Station and as one gets into the double-decker portion there

Aurora Boulevard near SM City Santa Mesa (Centerpoint)

G. Araneta, probably near Landargun Street

Also, the exit only split now has been extended for the NB ramps to Quezon Avenue, from 300m beyond the gore point, to 400m (1/4 mile). However, the video shows that that doesn't change the inherent issues where the ramp physically is only one lane wide.

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A more scenic video of Skyway driving, this time emphasizing the skyline views along the way
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Js-i-XVuxE

TheStranger · January 23, 2021, 05:55:25 AM

New video (filmed by dmitrivalencia/Pinoy Joyirde) of NLEX Connector construction work around the Caloocan Interchange
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=420397412743502

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EDSA, 1992 (so before the grade separations/Ayala Tunnel were built in Makati)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afv-0aa2OAA

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Skyway video from Bicutan-Quirino, then a little bit of a look at the Nagtahan ramp construction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Of9ZHyUHtn0

TheStranger · January 23, 2021, 06:26:43 PM

The Toll Regulatory Board has listened to complaints that PHP274 is too steep for Skyway Stage 3, and has in fact decided that SMC must leave the road free until all of the interchanges for the project are complete:
https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2021/01/24/skyway-3-stays-toll-free-longer/
Same article also states that EDSA has been decongested by 100K fewer cars since Stage 3 opened.

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These two new Skyway vids, both starting at Buendia Avenue, highlight how there is not only a need for an auxiliary lane from the NB onramp from Buendia to Osmena Highway towards the NB onramp from Osmena itself to the Skyway, but that there is plenty of right of way for that potential lane!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_3BAj8BgkU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJCZ0oevv0w

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Night video of construction for the Skyway extension in Alabang
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjc2NYCIT8k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a16jKy8XEkY

TheStranger · January 24, 2021, 01:17:46 PM

Spent much of Saturday evening creating a straight line diagram for the Skyway:

Direct link as the forum coding here cuts off the full size:
https://i.imgur.com/nmywxCe.png
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https://www.skyscrapercity.com/threads/metro-manila-skyway.1492516/page-587

Photos in the field from Skyscrapercity user Bruno14.

Flooding near SM City Santa Mesa:

Ongoing construction of the Skyway extension in Susana Heights

a bit further north, at the SLEX Filinvest exit in Alabang:

TheStranger · January 25, 2021, 03:36:58 AM

Cool afternoon-to-dusk Skyway video, showing new lane markings and multiple lanes open between Cloverleaf Mall in Balintawak and the current north terminus at NLEX.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI7LRNIyL74

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New drone video of the Skyway, mostly in Quezon City but also around Pandacan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m77lYgsYvgo

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Video of construction for NLEX Connector in Caloocan and northern Manila
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPGzyt5qBdY

TheStranger · January 25, 2021, 06:49:12 PM

Video tour of the still incomplete C-6 ring road (some of which will be incorporated into Southeast Metro Manila Expressway).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lJLJiSSCwY

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4K 360 degree view of Skyway Stage 3 northbound
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2dccrFWEuU

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more construction work video of NLEX Connector
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaWW3Qv8OZU

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Footage of Skyway Stage 3 from the Quezon Avenue northbound ramp then to NLEX, then up NLEX to Bocaue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWuUmkN9df0

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Ramp construction around the Nagtahan and Plaza Dilao interchanges

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH5nUaTr418