Toll rate hike awaits motorists using R-1 segment of Cavitex

Motorists plying the R-1 expressway of Cavitex or the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway Project (MCTEP) phase 1 will soon pay P1 to P3 additional toll fees, proceeds from which will be used for further enhancements.

The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has approved the add-on toll rates for phase 1 of the R-1 Enhancement Project on Segment 1 (R-1 Expressway) of the MCTEP. The increase will take effect as soon as TRB issues a notice.

This is according to a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange filed by Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), the infrastructure conglomerate that operates the toll road.

Based on the approved matrix, Class 1 vehicles or ordinary cars traversing the expressway from Seaside to Zapote will pay an additional P1. Class 2 vehicles, referring to buses and small commercial trucks, will pay an additional P2. Class 3 vehicles or large trucks and trailers will pay an additional P3.

Cavitex Infrastructure Corp. and state-owned Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), venture partners in MCTEP, separately filed petitions for toll rate adjustments in October 2018.

MPIC, the parent firm of Cavitex, said these add-on toll rates were intended to cover the enhancement of the R-1 Expressway. The plan includes widening the road by adding a lane on both directions.

“This enhancement will address the motorists’ demands and resolve the congestion problem along this portion of the MCTEP,” MPIC said in its disclosure.