CALAX Silang segment to be completed in 2-3 months, says DPWH

The Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange segment of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) is expected to be completed as early as May this year, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

The DPWH said construction could now resume in full swing after a writ of possession was secured on the remaining 15,650 square meters of land needed to finish project.

In an order dated February 2023, Tagaytay City Regional Trial Court Branch 134 Presiding Judge Michael Maranan lifted the “holding in abeyance the implementation of the issued writ of possession” on the remaining parcels of land critical for the project’s completion.

Maranan also ordered the RTC branch sheriff to implement the writ of possession, in which the land owner is given 10 days to remove or relocate equipment not considered part of the project.

"As prayed for and as agreed upon by the parties, the defendant is given a period of 10 days before the actual implementation of the writ to remove, transfer, or relocate the horses, farm tools, and equipment and other things not otherwise considered as part of the building or structure that may found in the subject property," Maranan said.

With this, DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the CALAX Silang Interchange will be completed in “two to three months” after several delays due to right-of-way issues.

"They [MPTC] can now continue the construction," Bonoan said.

Bonoan said the agency will likewise fast-track the delivery of right-of-way for the remaining segment of the CALAX project.

"I was able to talk to DBM (Department of Budget and Management) and they assured me that they will be releasing the funds necessary for the acquisition of the right-of-way for CALAX," Bonoan said, adding that the DBM allocated P2 billion for CALAX right-of-way this year.

To date, the subsection of the CALAX is at 65% completion rate.

The Silang subsection of CALAX is the fifth of the eight segments of the 45-kilometer (km) toll road. It spans at 3.9 kilometers with 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. Current average daily traffic is 33,000 from Mamplasan to Silang East interchange.

MPCALA Holdings Inc., the operator and developer of CALAX, is a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), the toll roads arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC).

MPTC, apart from CALAX and CAVITEX, also holds the concession rights for North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), NLEX Connector Road, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), and Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) in Cebu. —KBK, GMA Integrated News