By Betheena Kae Unite
Construction of the Cavite segment of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) has begun Wednesday.
Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar leads the CALAEX Cavite segment groundbreaking ceremony held at Brgy. Alapan II-B Imus city Cavite. Villar is accompanied by MPTC President and CEO Rodrigo Franco, Cavite Gov. Boying Remula, Congressman AA Advincula, and Imus Vice Mayor Arnel Cantimbuhan (ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN)
It is a four-lane toll road project that starts from CAVITEX in Kawit, Cavite and ends at the SLEX-Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan, Laguna. It has eight interchanges and one main toll barrier.
The construction of the Cavite Segment, which is nine kilometers longer than the Laguna segment, will include three subsections, according to Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar.
Cavite Segment starts in CAVITEX Connection in Kawit, Cavite to Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange.
It includes the 8.58-kilometer CAVITEX Connection to Open Canal Interchange, the 10.8-kilometer Open Canal Interchange to Governor’s Drive Interchange and the 7.80-kilometer Governor’s Drive Interchange to Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange, making the segment 27.18-kilometer long.
Its Laguna Segment, on the other hand, commenced in June 2017. It involves the construction of an 18-kilometer new road from Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange to the existing Mamplasan Interchange of South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) in Biñan, Laguna.
CALAX is a P35.425-billion project that is being implemented by the private concessionaire MPCALA Holdings, Inc. of the Metro Pacific Group under Public-Private Partnership Program of the government.
It also has a bridge component of 12,207 meters inclusive of 4,618 meters of viaduct.
“One of the goals of this project is to support the national development policy and provide efficient transport facilities for the Eco-zones located in Laguna and Cavite,” Villar said during the inauguration of the project.
The project is also expected to decongest roads leading to the south, citing that “there is occurring traffic congestion in Governor's Drive, Aguinaldo Highway, and Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road.”
“And speaking of traffic congestion, this project will also help reduce the travel time from CAVITEX to SLEX by about 45 minutes,” the secretary added.
The infrastructure project, he noted, is under the Luzon Spine Network Program which aims to double expressways to help alleviate traffic in congested cities and provinces.