First 7.4-km CALAX segment opens next week

Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) subsidiary MPCALA Holdings Inc. is set to open the first 7.4-kilometer segment of the Laguna segment of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) next week in time for the expected influx of motorists for the observance of the four-day All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day weekend.

Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said the first sections of the CALAX from the Mamplasan barrier to the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay interchange would be passable by Oct. 30. “The project is 90 percent completed. The remaining 10 percent are portions of the expressway that need to be harmonized, we are fast tracking those portions,” Villar said.

“Meantime we will ensure that CALAX will be passable and ready to serve motorists this Oct. 30. We will open the entry and exit points at Mamplasan, Biñan, Laguna and Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road. It’s a long weekend and apart from paying respects to the dearly departed, I’m sure a lot of families would want to take advantage of this time to do some bonding in Tagaytay, Batangas and Manila,” he said.

Villar said around 10,000 cars are expected to enter and exit through the first sections, which will be opened.

“This section will approximately be 10 minutes to drive. A big cut on travel time compared to the 45-minutes it currently takes to travel Mamplasan to Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay road,” he said.

CALAX is designed to be a four-lane, 45.3-kilometer tolled expressway that will connect Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) in Kawit to South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) at the Mamplasan interchange in Biñan, Laguna.

The project will have interchanges in eight locations, namely: Kawit, Daang Hari, Governor’s Drive, Aguinaldo Highway, Silang, Sta. RosaTagaytay, Laguna Blvd., Technopark, and a Toll Barrier before SLEX.

The project’s Cavite segment spans 27.2 kms, while the Laguna portion covers 18.1 kms.

“We are in close coordination with the DPWH, together we align with the different stakeholders and update them of the developments in the construction, inform them of the features of the expressway and the benefits that CALAX will bring to the areas it will traverse,” MPCALA president and general manager Bobby Bontia said.

Completion of the full 45km CALAX is expected by the second quarter of 2022.

Once fully completed, Villar said travel time from Laguna and Cavite would be cut by more than half from the usual two hours to less than one hour.

“In order to decongest Sta. Rosa- Tagaytay Road, Governor’s drive, Aguinaldo Highway, it is imperative to deliver the total 45-kilometer length of CALAX by June 2022. Once completed it will only take about 45minutes to an hour to drive from Mamplasan to Kawit Cavite and will serve about 50,000 vehicles,” Villar said.