Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. said over the weekend it expects the government to hold the Swiss Challenge for the P22.4-billion Cavite-Tagaytay-Batangas Expressway before the end of 2021.
“We were awarded original status for CTBEX. We are still discussing with NEDA [National Economic and Development Authority] and DPWH [Department of Public Works and Highways] on the details, by which we can fully conduct the Swiss Challenge by end of the year or first quarter of 2022,” MPTC South president Roberto Bontia told reporters in a virtual briefing.
The Public Works Department granted the original proponent status to MPTC for the construction of CTBEX in 2018.
CTBEX is a 50.4-kilometer expressway that will connect Cavite and Batangas, with a spur road to Tagaytay City and ultimately terminating in Nasugbu and another spur road to Tuy, Batangas.
CTBEX would decongest about 23,000 vehicles daily from the nearby thoroughfares.
The project will start at Silang East Interchange of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway. The alignment will traverse the towns of Silang, Amadeo, Mendez, Alfonso and Tagaytay in Cavite and Nasugbu in Batangas.
Meanwhile, Bontia said MPTC South would spend P4 billion to P5 billion to complete Segment 3B of the Cavitex C5 from RSG Airport View Subdivision to Sucat interchange.
The C5 Southlink Project is a 7.7-kilometer six-lane divided expressway, stretching from R-1 Expressway to SLEX/C5.
Bontia said the Cavite-Laguna Expressway Subsection 5 was now 93-percent completed and might be opened to motorists by the third quarter.
Subsection 5 is a 7.2-km expressway linking Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Interchange to Silang East Interchange.
“Once operational, we expect CALAX to serve around 5,000 motorists daily, thereby helping decongest traffic along Governor’s Drive, Aguinaldo Highway and Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road. It is also expected to help accelerate economic progress in Laguna and Cavite as it connects the two provinces of Region IV-A,” Bontia said
Toll structures of the upcoming Silang East interchange were already erected while other miscellaneous works including construction of drainage system and installation of expressways road and safety features were on track.
Upon completion, CALAX will span 45 kilometers with eight interchanges at Kawit, Governor’s Drive, Open Canal, Silang (Aguinaldo) Highway, Silang East, Santa Rosa-Tagaytay, Laguna Boulevard and Laguna Technopark.
It will serve about 45,000 vehicles while cutting travel time between Cavite and Laguna from two hours to under an hour.