Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) unit MPCALA Holdings Inc. has earmarked P11.9 billion to complete the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (Calax) and Cavitex C5 link projects in the next two years.
In a press briefing last Friday, Raul Ignacio, MPCALA president and general manager, said bulk of the budget for 2024 to 2025 is allocated for the completion of Calax at P8.2 billion.
He said the remaining amount, over P3 billion, is for the Cavitex C5 link, Cavitex-Calax link and Cavitex R1-R1 exit at P2.6 billion, P1.088 billion and P134 million, respectively.
The investment in the next two years is lower than this year’s P13 billion budget as most of the projects are substantially completed, Ignacio added.
For Calax, three more sections are under construction in the Cavite portion: Subsection 3 from Governor’s Drive to Silang interchange, Section 2 from Open Canal interchange to Governor’s Drive interchange, and Subsection 1 from Kawit interchange to Open Canal.
MPCALA said in less than a month, it has surpassed its target daily traffic for the recently opened Silang (Aguinaldo) interchange, with the highest daily traffic exceeding 11,000 vehicles — well beyond the projected 5,000 cars.
This four-kilometer segment of Calax which directly connects to Aguinaldo Highway seamlessly transports motorists towards tourist destinations in Tagaytay, Silang, Dasmariñas, and other nearby cities and municipalities in Cavite.
Meanwhile, MPCALA said construction of the remaining portion of the Calax-Cavite Segment continues in full swing.
The next interchange will be a 7.9-km 2×2 lane expressway that will extend from Silang (Aguinaldo) interchange to Governor’s Drive in General Trias.
To date, more than 95 percent of the right-of-way for this segment has already been acquired, and the team has begun earthworks and bridge constructions, MPCALA said.
“Governor’s Drive will be the second-longest segment of CALAX, spanning almost 8km in length. We target to open it to the motoring public before the end of 2024. Through this interchange, we aspire to revolutionize our motorist travel experience, by connecting communities and helping improve the economy of the region,” said Ignacio.
Looking forward, Calax is set to reach a total length of 45 km by 2025, featuring eight interchanges: Technopark, Laguna Boulevard, Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road, Silang East, Silang (Aguinaldo), Governor’s Drive, Open Canal and Kawit.
Calax will seamlessly connect with the Manila-Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) in Kawit.
Presently, operational segments span from Mamplasan Rotunda up to the Silang (Aguinaldo) interchange.
