P20 billion NAIA Expressway opens, toll-free till Oct 22

NOW OPEN The first segment of Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway is now open. It will link Terminals 1 and 2 in Parañaque City to Macapagal Boulevard and the Entertainment City in Pasay City. For the first month, motorists will not pay toll for using the expressway. RICHARD A. REYES

DESPITE having shelled out some P20 billion to build the Naia Expressway—including a jaw-dropping P11-billion bid premium that topped the P305-million offer of its bid rival, Metro Pacific Investments Corp.—San Miguel Corp. kept a relatively low profile during last week’s long awaited opening of the 14-kilometer elevated toll road.

Instead, the star of the show which began at exactly one minute past midnight of Thursday was Public Works Secretary Mark Villar who made it a point to be behind the wheel of the first vehicle to drive on the completed phase 2A of the project (extending from the vicinity of Naia 1 and Naia 2 all the way to Macapagal Ave. in Pagcor Entertainment City.

And since Sec. Villar was to be the first driver on the new expressway, he had to cross the toll gates at exactly 12:01 a.m. No, the exact time had nothing to do with any feng shui beliefs, but more to stress a point that the toll road would open on the very first minute of the day on which government said it would open.

That’s a welcome change for traffic-weary motorists, of course, who were initially looking forward to the expressway being finished in October of last year (in time for the November Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit), but had to bear traffic hardship for almost a year more, no thanks to the previous administration’s inability to deliver on its right of way commitments on time.

Biz Buzz understands that the first phase of the project will soon be augmented by the rest of the expressway connectors—especially the one meant to ease vehicular traffic in front of Naia 3 from the Skyway—before yearend.

As is often the case with new toll roads, its builder and concession operator will offer use of the facilities to motorists for free for a limited time to get them to develop a habit of driving on it and become regular paying customers later on.

In the case of Naia Expressway, it will be open toll-free until October 22. And how much in revenues does San Miguel expect to forego during this period? Biz Buzz hears it’s in the vicinity of P55 million for the entire 30 days.

Well, what’s a few million pesos to a conglomerate when it has already spent P20 billion on a key traffic easing project, right? Daxim L. Lucas