DPWH seeks court's guidance in 450-meter CALAX ROW issue

To resolve the right-of-way (ROW) acquisition issue at the Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange segment of the P35.7-billion Cavite Laguna Expressway (CALAX), the Department of Public Works and Highways, through the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), wrote a letter to Branch 134 of the Regional Trial Court in Tagaytay City asking it to help resolve the issue.

According to DPWH Public-Private Partnership Service Director Alex Bote, they asked the court to reconsider and reinstate the writ of possession (WOP) on the remaining 450 meters of land needed to complete the CALAX segment.

A private company that owns the remaining 450 meters of land requested higher compensation for the right-of-way, despite the government’s valuation of the property at P16 million.

“The government will still pay for that if the court decides that it’s really P60 million,” said Bote.

The agency was also preparing a letter to the Office of Court Administrator to fast-track the acquisition process.

To recall, CALAX operator and developer MPCALA Holdings Inc. said the completion of the CALAX Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange had been delayed due to right-of-way issues with the target date being moved several times, the latest being December 2022.

To date, the subsection of the CALAX is 64% completed.

The Silang subsection of CALAX is the fifth of the eight segments of the 45-kilometer toll road.

The segment spans 3.9 kilometers with a 2x2 lane expressway from Silang East Interchange to Aguinaldo Highway in Cavite.

Upon completion, the subsection will serve more motorists given the reduced traffic situation. The current average daily traffic is 33,000 from Mamplasan to Silang East interchange. — DVM, GMA Integrated News