The seven-kilometer Silang East section of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) will be opened to motorists in June, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar said on Tuesday, May 11.
This development should excite motorists as travel time from the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) to Silang, Cavite is expected to get cut in half from an hour to just 30 minutes.
"At the last week of June ang opening ng Silang East ng CALAX (The opening of CALAX's Silang East will take place on the last week of June)," Villar said as he took a test drive along the section Tuesday.
"Kung dati yung biyahe from SLEX to Silang ay isang oras, magiging 30 minutes na lang. Napakalaking bagay po sa traffic decongestion natin (In the past, traveling from SLEX to Silang takes an hour, but now that will be reduced to just 30 minutes. It's a huge boost to our traffic decongestion efforts)," Villar added.
The secretary further revealed that the construction of the entire 44-kilometer expressway is now in full swing after the DPWH achieved 100 percent of site possession and right-of-way.
The P35-billion project aims to link the Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) in Kawit, Cavite to SLEX particularly at the Mamplasan Interchange in Binan, Laguna.
Once completed, the usual two-hour travel time along that same route would be slashed to only 45 minutes.
A nine-kilometer portion of the expressway had been completed previously. The project's construction began in 2019.
The expressway is part of a larger project -- the Luzon Spine Expressway, which aims to realize an eight-hour travel time from the northern part of Luzon all the way down to its southern tip.