METRO Pacific Tollways South Corp. (MPT South) broke ground on Wednesday for the Cavite segment of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (Calaex), which, according to a Cabinet official, marks “a new period of growth” for infrastructure development in the Philippines.
Roberto Bontia, MPT South president, said his group will be able to complete the 27-kilometer, four-lane expressway segment by April 2022, a few months before President Duterte bows out of office.
Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar said the construction of the P12-billion segment marks the start of a new period of growth, as the government ushers the Philippines into the so-called Golden Age of Infrastructure.
“This is something we will replicate in all areas of our country. This is the driving vision behind the government’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ program,” he said.
The Cavite Segment of the expressway starts from Kawit, Cavite—traversing the Imus Open Canal, Governor’s Drive, Dasmarinas, Aguinaldo Highway—to Silang, which will be connected to the Laguna Segment.
Upon completion, the 45-km Calaex will cut travel time from 2.5 hours to under 45 minutes and will help decongest approximately 50,000 cars.
“With the Laguna Segment well underway and substantially completed by July this year, we will simultaneously push for the Cavite Segment to meet Laguna in a timely manner, completing the project by 2022,” Villar said.
According to a project brief, Calaex will be equipped with an automatic license-plate recognition system, which provides for an additional vehicle identification means that enables no-barrier entry. It will also be equipped with the RFID toll payments collection system, speed detection cameras, and CCTVs for traffic monitoring and security.
“As a socially responsible corporate citizen, we would like to add value to our presence, not just in terms of bringing solutions to the traffic congestion, but as a source of livelihood for the provinces of Cavite and Laguna,” Bontia said.
MPT South will employ close to 2,500 employees for the construction of the expressway.
“In two years, we hope the province of Cavite will have a brand-new expressway that will connect to the existing Cavitex,” Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. President Rodrigo E. Franco said.
Image credits: DPWH