The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is pushing for the construction of the P25.24 billion Cavite Tagaytay Batangas Expressway (CTBEX) project proposed by Metro Pacific Tollways South under the government’s Build Better More program that aims to address the country’s infrastructure gap and traffic congestion issues.
Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan told reporters the CTBEX project will push ahead and ruled out “conflict in alignment” with the parallel Cavite Batangas Expressway (CBEX) project proposed by rival San Miguel Holdings Inc.
“The two projects will push through, but we will have to iron out some pending issues so that both of them can start,” Bonoan said.
“Let’s see on how we can interconnect the two and plus the alignment,” he added without elaboration.
The DPWH granted original proponent status to MPTC for the construction of CTBEX in 2018 yet. The CTBEX is a 50.43 kilometer expressway connecting Cavite and Batangas with a spur road to Tagaytay City and ultimately terminates in Nasugbu, Batangas with another spur road to Tuy municipality of the same province.
CTBEX is expected to accommodate 23,000 vehicles daily from nearby thoroughfares starting from the Silang East Interchange of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) which has opened to the motoring public. The alignment will traverse the towns of Silang, Amadeo, Mendez, Alfonso and Tagaytay in Cavite and Nasugbu in Batangas.
Consistent with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s BBM program, the MPTC Group continues to develop tollway projects addressing the country’s traffic congestion issues and help spur economic growth in the region.
The MPTC Group has thus far developed a total 240.6 kilometers of existing tollways with 43.1kilometer under construction in the Philippines for a total investment of $3.06 billion
It currently operates the 105-kilometer North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), 94-kilometer Subic Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and the 14-kilometer Manila-Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) and the 8.5-kilometer Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) in Cebu.
MPTC also building the 45-kilometer Cavite Laguna Expressway Project seen completed by 2024. At present, its operational segments stretch from Mamplasan in Binan with interchanges at Laguna Technopark, Laguna Boulevard, the Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road up to the Silang East Interchange.
The C5 Link which is a 7.7-kilometer 2×3 lane expressway that will connect CAVITEX R1 to C5 Road in Taguig is also under construction.
In the north, the MPTC is constructing the 8-kilometer NLEX Connector Road and the 2.60-kilometer NLEX Segment 10 on R10.
The MPTC Group has also sent unsolicited proposals to the DPWH to build the P92 billion 15.1-kilometer NLEX-Cavitex Port Expressway Project and the 19.4-kilometer C5 Expressway Project with a budget of P71.9 billion.
