The first 10-kilometer (km) segment of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) will be opened this October, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Public Works Secretary Mark Villar led the department’s technical team and executives of project concessionaire MP CALA Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, in an inspection of the ongoing construction of the alignment.
“Opening this first segment will be beneficial to the growing industrial, commercial and real estate centers of this part of the Southern Tagalog Region. About 10,000 cars are forecasted to be served, eventually decongesting Governor’s Drive, Aguinaldo Highway, and Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road,” Villar said in a statement.
“We are nearing the opening this October. Despite some challenges in the ROW [right-of-way] acquisition which kept us from delivering earlier as we hoped, we are addressing these challenges in order to keep to the timeline and deliver the full 45km by early 2022. Once completed it will only take 45 minutes from the usual 2-hour travel time taking the same route and about 50k cars will experience this convenience,” Villar added.
The first segment starts at the Mamplasan Barrier and passes through Laguna Technopark interchange, Laguna Boulevard Interchange, and all the way to the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Interchange.
“We look forward to [delivering] the full 45km by the second quarter of 2022. [A] faster, safer, more comfortable and reliable route will be experienced by motorists traversing between Bacoor and Kawit, Cavite areas, and the Laguna and South Luzon areas,” MP Cala Holdings president Bobby Bontia said.
CALAX will feature an automatic license plate recognition system to enable barrier-less entry. To further ensure the safety of motorists, IP-based speed-detection cameras will be strategically installed together with HD CCTV coverage for the entire stretch of the expressway. There will be gasoline stations, retail outlets, convenience stores, and restaurants, along with security and maintenance centers, to address the needs of motorists passing through the toll road, Bontia added.
CALAX is designed to be a four-lane, 45-km tolled expressway connecting Manila-Cavite Expressway in Kawit to the South Luzon Expressway at their Mamplasan Interchange in Binan, Laguna. The project will have interchanges in eight locations: Kawit, Daang Hari, Governor’s Drive, Aguinaldo Highway, Silang, Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay, Laguna Blvd., and Technopark, as well as a toll barrier before SLEX.
