MHI vows to hasten completion of Calax

MPCALA holdings Inc. (MHI) assured the government that it will work on portions of the Cavite-laguna expressway (Calax) where right of way (ROW) has been delivered.

The company also said it is working “closely” with the Department of Public Works and highways (DPWH) to fast-track the already-delayed Silang (Aguinaldo) Section.

Raul Ignacio, the company’s president, told government officials during an inspection of the operational 14 kilometers section of Calax that the company will push for the quick completion of the project despite the delays in the delivery of ROW.

“While we work closely with our grantor, DPWH to fast-track delivery of right-of-way, especially in the critical area in Silang, we continue to do construction work on areas where right of way has already been granted so as not to further delay the project,” he said.

Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) officials recently conducted an inspection of the Calax’s technological, safety, and security features, toll plaza operations, including the Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras and RFID system.

MHI is facing delays in the completion of the Silang (Aguinaldo) section of Calax as Uneco Land Corp., the private owner of a 450-meter parcel of land critical to the completion of the segment, demanded P50 million to P60 million in exchange for the land.

Initial estimate for the said parcel of land is pegged at P16 million.

To date, only 64.8 percent of the Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange segment has been finished.

MHI initially targeted to complete this segment last December but had to push it back to the first quarter of 2023 due to delays brought about by the ROW acquisition.

This fifth of the eight segments of the 45-kilometer expressway spans at 3.9-km, with 2x2 lane expressway from Silang east Interchange to Aguinaldo highway in Cavite. Upon completion, this will serve more motorists, including the 298,000 residents of Silang, given the reduced traffic situation. Overall, Calax is “more than 57 percent” complete.

To date, Calax’s operational segment spans 14.24-kilometer with interchanges at Greenfield-mamplasan, Laguna Technopark, Laguna Boulevard, Santa Rosa-tagaytay, and Silang east. Other interchanges of Calax, namely, Open Canal, Governor’s Drive, and Kawit, are targeted to be completed by 2023.

Upon completion of the entire public-private partnership project of the DPWH and MHI, it will connect to the Manila-cavite expressway in Kawit, Cavite.