Metro Pacific unit allots P11.95B to improve, fast-track Calax, Cavitex
A unit of Metro Pacific Tollway Co. (MPTC) is allocating P11.95 billion in capital expenditures in the next two years to bankroll the construction of expressways in southern Luzon as it seeks to boost the mobility of motorists and goods.
MPT South Management Corp. president Raul Ignacio, in a recent interview with reporters, said they were eyeing to complete the entire stretch of the 45-kilometer (km) Cavite-Laguna Expressway (Calax) and the 7.7-km Manila-Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) C-5 Link by 2025.
By next year, Calax will be opening another interchange, Governor’s Drive in General Trias, Cavite. This portion is currently 8.7-percent complete.
“Through this interchange, we aspire to revolutionize our motorist travel experience, by connecting communities and helping improve the economy of the region,” Ignacio said.
For the Cavite portion of Calax, 95 percent of the right-of-way has been acquired. Earth works and bridge constructions have also started.
Calax now fully operational
Meanwhile, the Laguna segment of Calax is now fully operational, with Silang (Aguinaldo) interchange having recently opened. About 41,000 vehicles traverse the tollway daily, which is near its design capacity of 45,000.
Calax is a toll road linking Cavitex and South Luzon Expressway. Its project cost is estimated to rise to P28 billion from the original P21 billion due to delays in construction.
For Cavitex C-5 Link, the extension road connecting Cavitex to Sucat road is expected to be completed by the first quarter of next year.
Still under development
The Taguig-Merville portion, meanwhile, is now operational. The road linking Merville to Sucat, on the other hand, is under development.
Once fully operational, the toll road project is designed to service 50,000 vehicles per day. It seeks to cut travel time for motorists going from Makati and Taguig to Parañaque, Las Piñas and Cavite.
MPTC’s portfolio also includes North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), NLEx Connector Road, Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway and Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway.
The Pangilinan-led company recently inked a memorandum of agreement with San Miguel Corp. to design, build and operate the 88-kilometer Cavite-Batangas Expressway and Nasugbu-Bauan Expressway. Groundbreaking ceremony is slated for next year.
The toll roads will traverse Silang, Amadeo, Tagaytay, Indang, Mendez and Alfonso in Cavite and will link motorists to Nasugbu and Bauan in Batangas. INQ
