METRO Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) unit MPCALA Holdings, Inc. on Monday said it is planning to open the Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) project by September.
The upcoming CALAX exit, anticipated to serve an additional 5,000 daily motorists, has reached a completion rate of 91%, MPCALA said in an e-mailed statement.
“Ongoing construction activities include the development of the toll plaza, concrete pouring for the main line and median barriers, as well as various finishing works,” the company added.
After these activities, the company will focus on the construction of toll facilities such as road lights, signages, and sound barriers and prepare for the toll collection system.
In a previous interview, Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan said that the department has set June as the target for completing the Aguinaldo section of CALAX.
“Due to challenges brought about by inclement weather in the past months, the timeline of the target opening has been moved,” the company responded in an inquiry through e-mail.
In total, CALAX has eight interchanges: Technopark, Laguna Boulevard, Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road, Silang East, Silang (Aguinaldo), Governor’s Drive, Open Canal, and Kawit Interchange and a toll barrier before South Luzon Expressway (SLEX).
At present the operational segment of CALAX is from the Mamplasan Rotunda up to Silang East Interchange, which has an average daily motorist of more than 34,000.
The right of way for the remaining segments is still under processing with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the company said.
“Overall, the right-of-way accomplishment, including that of the Laguna segment, that is already operational is 81.05%,” it added.
CALAX, a 45-kilometer four-lane toll road, is expected to cut travel time between SLEX and the Manila-Cavite Expressway to 45 minutes from the current 2.5 hours.
It is a public-private partnership project with the DPWH as implementing agency and MPCALA as the private proponent.
MPTC is the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which is one of the three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd. together with Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc.
Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Justine Irish D. Tabile
