MPCALA Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), yesterday said it is on track to complete the entire stretch of the 44.6-kilometer Cavite-Laguna Expressway (Calax) with the completion of the three remaining segments in the second half of 2025.
The project is composed of eight segments, of which 17.4 km equivalent to five segments are operational. The remaining three segments, equivalent to 27.2 km, are under construction and on track to be complete and operational this year.
“We are committed to completing the entire stretch of CALAX by 2025. Its full opening will not only ease traffic and improve connectivity but also support economic growth by enhancing access to key areas in Cavite and Laguna,” Elnora Rumawak, officer-in-charge of MPCALA, said in a statement Thursday.
The three segments are Cavitex Connection to Open Canal Interchange, Open Canal Interchange to Governor’s Drive Interchange, and Governor’s Drive Interchange to Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange.
The company reported that Governor’s Drive Interchange is nearing 40 percent completion and on track for its target opening in the second half of 2025.
This 8.64-km segment will connect Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange to Governor’s Drive in General Trias, Cavite, further enhancing mobility and reducing congestion in the region, MPCALA added. Once operational, this new segment will further enhance Calax’s connectivity providing faster, seamless travel to General Trias and nearby areas, MPCALA said. It will also ease traffic congestion on Governor’s Drive and Aguinaldo Highway.
Meanwhile, construction continues on its remaining sections, with Subsection 1 (Kawit Interchange) now over 31 percent complete and Subsection 2 (Open Canal Interchange) at 21.9 percent completion, the company said. Once completed, Calax will stretch 45 km from Mamplasan Rotunda in Laguna to Kawit, Cavite, integrating with major expressways to provide a seamless connection between Cavite, Laguna and Metro Manila.
The expressway will feature a total of eight interchanges: Laguna Technopark, Laguna Boulevard, Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road, Silang East, Silang (Aguinaldo), Governor’s Drive, Open Canal and Kawit Interchange.
By the first quarter of next year, the Governor’s Drive interchange—which is a part of the tollway’s Cavite segment—is set to be completed. This 7.8-km portion is seen to decongest traffic on major roads in Cavite such as the Aguinaldo Highway in Silang.
The MPTC unit noted that the expressway is currently serving over 45,000 motorists daily. The volume is estimated to grow to 95,000 once the entire tollway is operational. The tollway operator earmarked P11.95-billion worth of capital expenditures to complete the Calax project and the Cavitex C-5 Link by 2025.
With additional reports: Malaya Business Insights, Myla Iglesias
