CAVITEX INFRASTRUCTURE Corp. (CIC) is looking to finish within the month the first phase of the P1.1-billion road enhancements being undertaken on the Cavite Expressway.
After partially opening on Wednesday two out of four lanes of the Marina flyover, CIC of the Metro Pacific group said it is confident the road widening and the southbound flyover of the toll road will both be completed in August.
“We are still confident that we will be able to finish the lane widening of R1 by the end of this month. And the full completion of MLT (Marina left-turn) facility will also be completed end of this month, so expect the lane widening and the MLT facility to really contribute to the decongestion of the expressway,” CIC President Luigi L. Bautista told reporters in Parañaque City on Thursday.
He previously said the road widening will increase road capacity by 25%, which is now hitting a daily traffic of 145,000 vehicles.
The road widening and the construction of the Marina flyover cost P800 million, while the remaining P300 million is allocated for phase 2 of the enhancements.
Phase 2 will cover the widening of the three bridges in Wawa, Las Piñas and Parañaque, with construction targeted to begin in September.
“There is a CAVITEx enhancement Phase 2 which will consist of the widening of three bridges…. At the moment it’s three lanes in each direction. So by the time that we finish the widening, it will become four lanes in each direction,” Mr. Bautista said.
The Phase 2 components are targeted to be operational by May next year.
“We have to complete it before or during the dry season next year…. So by the time that classes start next year, maluwag na maluwag na (the road would be decongested),” Mr. Bautista noted.
CIC, which is part of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC), is the private concessionaire for the CAVITEx project.
MPIC is one of three Philippine units of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Co. Ltd., others being PLDT, Inc. and Philex Mining Corp. Hastings Holdings, Inc., a unit of PLDT Beneficial Trust Fund subsidiary MediaQuest Holdings, Inc., has interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Denise A. Valdez

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