THE FIRST PHASE of upgrades to the Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEx) is now open to the public, with greater usage expected to help reduce road congestion in Parañaque City.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) led the inauguration of the road developments on Tuesday, together with MPTC unit and CAVITEx private concession holder Cavitex Infrastructure Corp. (CIC).
“The project is intended to solve the congestion and improve the travel experience of our customers in CAVITEx,” MPTC President Rodrigo E. Franco said during the program.
MPTC, through CIC, is investing a total of P1.1 billion for the enhancement work on CAVITEx. Phase 1 takes up P800 million of the budget, which covers the road widening and the construction of the Marina flyover leading to D. Macapagal Avenue. The remaining P300 million is for Phase 2 of the enhancements, which are targeted to begin next year.
“The enhancement project will have its Phase 2, which we hope to start by next year. It will involve the widening of bridges namely the Parañaque bridge, the Wawa bridge and the Las Piñas bridge. At the end of all these enhancements, we anticipate we will have 14 kilometers of widened and more direct expressway in CAVITEx,” Mr. Franco added.
DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar said Phase 2 is targeted to finish by the fourth quarter of 2019, helping improve the thoroughfare which is used by an average of 140,000 vehicles daily.
The improvements at CAVITEx is part of the Metro Pacific group’s “big goals” for its southern expressways, Mr. Franco said, which include the 7.7-kilometer C5 South Link Expressway and the 45-kilometer Cavite-Laguna Expressway.
MPTC is the tollways unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC). 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 an interest in BusinessWorld through the Philippine Star Group, which it controls. — Denise A. Valdez

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