Megawide signs contract for Cavite BRT

MANILA, Philippines — The coast is clear for infrastructure builder Megawide Construction Corp. to undertake the P1.87-billion development of Cavite’s first bus rapid transit (BRT) now that it has received green light to proceed with the project.

In a stock exchange disclosure, Megawide said that the company, together with its joint venture partner Maplecrest Group Inc., has signed with the provincial government of Cavite the contract to develop the Cavite BRT Project.

The joint venture Cavite Rapid Transport Inc. plans to start construction in the first quarter of the year with the hope of partially operating it by the third quarter.

Once opened to the public, the BRT is projected to serve at least 10,000 passengers a day. It will cater mainly to the mobility needs of commuters going around Cavite and moving back and forth to Metro Manila.

Megawide chairman and CEO Edgar Saavedra said the goal is to expand ridership in the BRT by five times in three years. He believes the project would play a crucial role in declogging Cavite’s traffic and improving its economy and livability.

“The initial phase of the Cavite BRT will serve close to 10,000 daily passengers, with a target to increase ridership by five–fold within three years, depending on Cavite’s progress,” Saavedra said.

For Maplecrest, the BRT will raise the marketability of Lancaster New City, a township built by its subsidiary Property Company of Friends Inc.

Maplecrest chairman Guillermo Choa said the BRT would include the spine road of Lancaster New City in Imus, General Trias and Tanza as part of its alignment.

All in all, the BRT will cover a 29-kilometer stretch along Kawit, Imus, General Trias, Tanza and Trece Martires. As proposed, the project will be separated into two services, namely, the actual BRT and the point-to-point (P2P) system.

The first phase of the BRT is made up of three terminals and 27 stations, while the second leg of the development is composed of one terminal and 20 stations. The P2P, for its part, will connect nonstop to the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange, also operated by Megawide.

The BRT will be provided with an exclusive lane for transport similar to the EDSA busway, and the buses will leave stations on a schedule for predictability and reliability.

The project, awarded as a 30-year concession by the provincial government of Cavite, is slated for completion by 2028.