NEWS

By Elijah Felice Rosales | The Philippine Star | September 13, 2024 12:00AM

MPCALA Holdings Inc. (MHI), the developer of CALAX, is confident the expressway will be complete within the third quarter of next year, encouraged by recent progress in construction. (Rudy Santos, File)

MANILA, Philippines — The Metro Pacific Group is wasting no time in completing the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) in 2025, reaching another milestone in building one of the final legs of the tollway.

MPCALA Holdings Inc. (MHI), the developer of CALAX, is confident the expressway will be complete within the third quarter of next year, encouraged by recent progress in construction.

To date, MHI has built 25 percent of the Governor’s Drive Interchange, and the company targets to complete it within the first quarter of 2025.

The segment from the Aguinaldo Interchange to Governor’s Drive spans 7.8 kilometers, making it the longest operational portion of CALAX once finished. Currently, MHI is doing excavation works, drainage construction and fence installation in the road to Governor’s Drive.

MHI president and general manager Raul Ignacio said the concessionaire is working on picking up the pace for the delivery of CALAX. Recently, MHI has struggled to maintain its momentum at a steady pace, dealing with days of bad weather that slowed down construction.

However, Ignacio insists that MHI can put up the Governor’s Drive Interchange, and as a whole, CALAX on time, understanding the project’s role in linking provinces in Southern Luzon.

“Despite challenges faced in construction brought about by the recent typhoons, we are pressing forward to ensure the timely delivery of the Governor’s Drive Interchange,” Ignacio said.

“Once operational, this vital infrastructure will ease traffic congestion, provide a faster route for thousands of motorists and stimulate economic growth across Southern Luzon,” he added.

MHI expects the opening of the Governor’s Drive Interchange to decongest the usual buildup in Aguinaldo Highway, one of the busiest thoroughfares in Cavite. The segment will also pave the way for completion of the remaining phases of CALAX, namely, Open Canal and Kawit.

MHI has put up 15 percent of the Open Canal Interchange and 25 percent of the Kawit Interchange. These interchanges are scheduled to be opened in the third quarter of 2025, and the Kawit Interchange will serve as the bridge to Manila-Cavite Expressway.

Overall, MHI has built 64 percent of CALAX, a tollway seen to facilitate the travel of more than 95,000 motorists every day upon its completion.

MHI, a unit of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., had to deal with multiple delays in constructing the expressway, hurdled with the usual issues, ranging from pandemic slowdown to right-of-way.

Source: The Philippine Star

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