Metro Pacific unit to start construction of P9B tollroad linking C5 to Coastal Road

INFRASTRUCTURE holding firm Metro Pacific Investments Corp. plans to start building by next month a new P9-billion tollroad that will connect the C-5 Link Expressway in Taguig to the Coastal Expressway.

The 7.6-kilometer tollroad will be undertaken by Cavitex Infrastructure Corp., which is part of the Metro Pacific Tollways group of companies. The target is to finish the project by 2018.

MPIC told the Philippine Stock Exchange on Thursday that the C-5 Link Expressway was part of the existing concession of Cavitex for the Manila- Cavite Toll Expressway network.

The disclosure said the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) was required under the concession to issue the notice to proceed with the construction of the project once an independent consulting firm issues a certification under the toll operation agreement on the availability of the right of way for the alignment already approved by the Department of Public Works and Highways. The disclosure said a final engineering design was now undergoing final review alongside construction schedules and costs.

Aside from the approval in principle by the TRB, MPIC said the project had also received the favorable endorsement of Paranaque City and its barangays, as well as the issuance of the environmental compliance certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“When completed, it will provide relief to traffic congestion in Paranaque City, particularly the residents of Merville, Moonwalk and Multinational villages, and will provide safe, fast and convenient expressway travel for its users in the Cavite, Las Pinas, Paranaque, Taguig, and Makati areas and nearby areas that will benefit from the new expressway,” the disclosure said.