C5 Link flyover: ‘Engineering solution’ for everyday problems

MANILA, Philippines — A welcome soundbite – that deals with a daily Metro Manila ordeal – was used recently by Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar at the opening of the first section of an elevated expressway that connects two cities.

He called it the “engineering solution for everyday problems.”

The public works chief was referring to the recently opened 2.2-kilometer flyover section of the 7.7-kilometer Cavitex C5 Link expressway.

The flyover crosses over and above the South Luzon Expressway to connect two major destinations – Pasay City and Taguig City and their satellite suburbs.

Villar said that this project would cut travel time in half from the usual 1.5 hours spent to navigate roads from Villamor Airbase to Taguig. The new roadway has three lanes on each direction, and will thus ease passage of the anticipated 8,000 vehicles.

Only last year, Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) president and CEO Rodrigo Franco used the phrase “engineering marvel” to describe the intricate and precise procedure of lifting beams and putting them in place overhead platforms to erect another project, the Harbor Link Segment 10.

“Engineering solution” is a refreshing phrase to describe a project that takes by the horns the heavy traffic that characterizes every thoroughfare in this overpopulated metropolis.

“Engineering” brings to mind precision and no-nonsense construction of a piece of infrastructure, and assures everyone that this is no mere makeshift structure that once was offered as tentative solutions and palliative remedies.

Truth to tell, this is the first flyover that truly “jumps over” an existing expressway, so one can connect via an elevated roadway within the vicinity of the Manila International Airport in Pasay City on the west side to Taguig City at the eastside over an otherwise impenetrable fast lane.

The Cavitex C5 Link flyover is another innovative project of an MPTC firm, Cavitex Infrastructure Corp., with a project cost of P2.2 billion.

“The flyover is very important. It may be a short 2.2 kilometer expressway, but it plays an important role in cutting through major thoroughfares, like SLEX, the Skyway, and the PNR line,” Franco said.

“This begins another chapter of a better and more efficient road network to benefit motorists in this part of the burgeoning metropolis,” Franco said.

Being true to its word, MPTC remains a reputable PPP partner of the government as this is the second major public-private partnership project that opened this year following the successful completion of the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 on Feb. 10.

The new expressway flyover can now be used by vehicles plying the roads of Fort Bonifacio, CP Garcia (C5), Taguig City, Parañaque City, Las Piñas City, and Pasay City. It is expected to reduce traffic in Sales Interchange near the Villamor Airbase, and will decongest SLEX East and West Service roads.

CIC president Roberto Bontia said that the entire 7.7-km. Cavitex C5 expressway is already on its advanced stage of implementation. “Ultimately, we foresee that the new complete expressway will benefit about 50,000 vehicles daily and enable commuters to have the ‘expressway experience’ south of Metro Manila from the Parañaque toll plaza to C5 in Taguig,” he said. 

Strategic impact

The Cavitex C5 expressway has more significance than meets the eye. It opens vast opportunities that is offered when the east and west sections are finally connected.

Without the geographic barrier, the eastern and western cities and towns can have common access to the road network of Cavitex bound for Cavite. The new airport being planned and rushed for Sangley Point in Cavite City offers vast possibilities for commerce and people’s mobility.

“Because we are the nearest expressway to the airport and several logistics facilities, this project will have a hugely significant impact on trade and commerce in the areas of Metro Manila and Cavite,” Franco said.

Aside from the Cavitex and the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) network in the south of Manila, MPTC’s portfolio of projects includes NLEX, SCTEX, NLEX Connector, and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway in Cebu.