Major Delays in the Completion of the 45-km CALAX Project

The completion of the ₱52.5 billion Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) is experiencing major delays as right-of-way acquisition (ROW) becomes more challenging during the pandemic.

Finishing the 45-kilometer (km) CALAX by the targeted first quarter of 2023 highly depends on the government’s delivery of ROW, particularly on the Cavite segment of the expressway said Roberto Bontia, Metro Pacific Tollways South Management Corp. president and general manager.

“We expect to complete the Cavite segment that should complete the entire CALAX by the first quarter of 2023. That is if we are able to get full right-of-way by the end of June this year,” said Bontia.

“The DPWH is targeting to complete the right-of-way delivery hopefully by end of June this year,” he added.

The CALAX toll road project is aimed at decongesting traffic along Governor’s Drive, Aguinaldo Highway and Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road. Once fully completed, it also hopes to reduce travel time from Cavite Expressway to South Luzon Expressway by 45 minutes.

There are two major divisions of the CALAX project namely: the 27.2-km Cavite segment and the 18.1-km Laguna segment. Completion of the Cavite segment was earlier targeted by the second quarter of 2022, which will also cap the entire toll project.

In 2019, the first 7.4-km section of the project from Mamplasan to Santa-Rosa Tagaytay Road was opened to traffic. A 7.2-km subsection that links Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Interchange to Silang East Interchange is expected to be opened to motorists by July, while another 2.8-km 2×2 lane expressway from Aguinaldo to Silang East is eyed for completion by the first quarter of 2022.

Construction of the Segment 4 extension, which will connect the Manila-Cavite Expressway and CALAX, is also going to start within the year according to Bontia.

“It’s only a one-kilometer road but it’s important because once we finish CALAX by 2023, and then to enable it to have a seamless connection with CAVITEX, we need to construct that Segment 4 extension,” he explained.

Source: PhilStar