Calax on track for completion by 2025

MANILA, Philippines — The Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) is on schedule to be opened in its entirety by 2025, as its builder makes headway in completing the remaining subsections of the tollway.

CALAX may have faced one of the most difficult battles for right-of-way (ROW) among the toll projects of the Metro Pacific Group, but optimism gleams that it will be finished at last next year.

MPT South Corp. has completed more than 70 percent of the remaining subsections of CALAX to date, putting it on track for opening by the third quarter of 2025.

In particular, MPT South has paved 76 percent of the first subsection of CALAX, from Kawit to Open Canal, and 71 percent of the second subsection, until Governor’s Drive. Meanwhile, it has delivered almost 100 percent of the third subsection leading to the Aguinaldo Interchange.

Currently, MPT South is procuring the last of the ROW needed to clear the path for CALAX. It targets to wrap up ROW acquisition by September to get enough time to put up the remainder of the tollway.

MPT South president and general manager Raul Ignacio hopes the company will be able to finish CALAX this time as intended to provide motorists another way to reach Southern Tagalog.

“We want to complete the (ROW) acquisition within the year, hopefully by the end of August or September, so that we can complete the entire CALAX by the third quarter of next year,” Ignacio said.

MPT South had dealt with ROW delays mostly in the Cavite leg of CALAX, forcing it to move the completion date of the toll road multiple times.

As a whole, CALAX will cover 44.58 kilometers between Kawit, Cavite and Biñan, Laguna, and its ends will connect to Manila-Cavite Expressway and South Luzon Expressway. It is expected to raise traffic volume in Southern Tagalog, generating economic opportunities in the process.

Further, CALAX is seen to unclog some of the busiest thoroughfares to the south of Luzon such as Aguinaldo Highway and Governor’s Drive. Thus, its completion should slash the travel time from Kawit to Biñan to just 35 minutes, from two hours at present.