Biñan, Laguna—Public Works Secretary Mark A. Villar recently graced the opening of the first 10-kilometer segment of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) from the Mamplasan Toll Barrier in Muntinlupa to the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Interchange.
The 45-kilometer CALAX is designed to be a four-lane tolled expressway that will connect CAVITEX in Kawit to South Luzon Expressway at its Mamplasan Interchange in Binan.
CALAX will have interchanges in eight locations: Cavitex Connection to Open Canal Road, Governor’s Drive, Silang, Silang East, Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay, Laguna Blvd., Technopark to Greenfield before SLEX.
“We all know that UNDAS is a time we all pay respects to family and friends who have passed on, and with November 1 falling on a Friday, I’m sure many of our kababayans will take advantage of the time to do some family bonding and go on a road trip,” Villar said.
“I only see benefits in opening CALAX even on a single lane basis to decongest Laguna Boulevard and Aguinaldo Highway. We are at 90 percent completion, the remaining 10% of the works are being fast tracked while in operations, we hope to fully open before December steps in, and there’s no toll fee for the meantime,” he added.
Approximately 10,000 cars are expected to enter and exit through the two access points, Mamplasan Barrier for the westbound vehicles and Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Entry for the eastbound vehicles, CALAX operator Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) said in a statement.
“This section will take 10 minutes to drive, a big cut in travel time compared to the 45 minutes it currently takes to travel Mamplasan to Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay,” added Villar.
President and General Manager Bobby Bontia of MPCALA Holdings Inc., an MPTC subsidiary, said they opened to all vehicles a single lane on Oct. 30 until 10PM, and on Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 as holidays the toll road shall be open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“For the daily access time starting Nov. 3, we agreed with DPWH that it will be Sunday to Thursday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and giving extended time on weekends, Friday to Saturday 6 a.m. to 10 p.m,” Bontia said.
This will only be temporary, he said, until the remaining works for these first subsections are completed.
The road will be lit at strategic locations and the public is reminded to drive safely and observe speed limits of 60kph and relevant traffic rules while travelling along the partially opened lane, Bontia added.
Upon issuance of the relevant certifications and permits from the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Toll Regulatory Board, full access to the completed lanes and other interchanges and 24-hour commercial operations shall be possible, he said.
CALAX will also showcase technologically advanced features such as Automatic License Plate Recognition System enabling barrier-less entry to the tollway, IP Based Speed Detection Cameras strategically installed, and High Definition CCTV cameras to cover the entire stretch of the expressway to ensure safe and efficient travel by the motorists.
MPTC’s domestic portfolio includes the concessions of North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), the Subic-Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), the NLEX Connector Road, CAVITEX and CAVITEX C5 Link, and the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) in Cebu.