THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is gunning to complete the Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange section of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (Calax) as early as May after it secured a critical portion of the right of way (ROW) for the said segment.
In a chance interview, Public Works Secretary Manuel M. Bonoan said the agency expects the MPCALA Holdings Inc. (MHI) to complete the segment “in two to three months,” as the government already secured the writ of possession on the remaining 15,650 square meters of land needed to finish the tolled highway project.
According to an order signed by Presiding Judge Michael C. Maranan of Branch 134 of Tagaytay City, Regional Trial Court dated February 23, the court decided to implement the writ of passion on March 4.
“As prayed for and as agreed upon by the parties, the defendant [Uneco Land Corp.] 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 in a document obtained by the BusinessMirror.
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. To date, only 64.8 percent of the Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange segment has been finished.
This fifth of the eight segments of the 45-kilometer expressway spans at 3.9-km, with 2×2 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.
“They can now continue the construction,” Bonoan said.
The public works chief also vowed to hasten the delivery of the easement for the remaining segment of the Calax this year. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM), he said, has allotted P2 billion for the acquisition of ROW for Calax this year.
“I was able to talk to DBM and they assured me that they will be releasing the funds necessary for the acquisition of the right-of-way for Calax,” he said.
To date, Calax’s operational segment spans 14.24-km 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 (PPP) project of the DPWH and MHI, it will connect to the Manila-Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) in Kawit, Cavite.
