Cavitex aims to start building P2-B link to CALAX

MPTC unit’s president says schedule is ‘late this year or early next year’

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Senior Reporter

CAVITEX Infrastructure Corp. (CIC), a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), is aiming to start work “late this year or early next year” on a P2-billion toll road project that will link the Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) to the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) project, the company’s president said on Tuesday.

“At the moment, I think what is very definite in terms of the extension of the current CAVITEX is our connection to CALAX,” CIC President and General Manager Roberto V. Bontia said at a virtual briefing.

“The construction, hopefully, can start either late this year or early next year, and that is also in anticipation of the completion of CALAX, hopefully, by 2023,” he added.

The one-kilometer elevated toll road project will connect Kawit to the last interchange of CALAX.

The project cost is P2 billion, MPTC Chief Finance Officer Christopher Daniel C. Lizo said.

“We already have a loan facility with Banco de Oro to finance the construction of the CALAX-CAVITEX connection. This is part of the facility we secured also to build the CAVITEX C5 Link,” he noted.

CAVITEX C5 LINK
The 7.7-kilometer CAVITEX C5 Link project aims to connect CAVITEX R1 to C5 Road in Taguig.

The P15-billion C5 Link — comprised of Segments 2 and 3 — is now 20% finished.

“Since 2019, C5 Link segment 3A-1 connecting Merville to C5 Road has been operational, while constructions of Segments 3A-2 stretching from E. Rodriguez to Merville, and Segment 2 from Cavitex R1 Interchange to Sucat Interchange are underway,” CIC said in a statement.

“Construction of Segment 3B from Sucat to E. Rodriguez… is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2022,” it added.

The C5 Link project is seen to reduce travel time between CAVITEX to Makati and Taguig and vice versa by 30 to 45 minutes.

MPTC is the toll road arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., one of three key Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., the others being Philex Mining Corp. and PLDT, Inc.

Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has a majority stake in ����ý through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls.