CALAX to collect toll fees starting Feb. 10

MANILA: After being toll-free for 102 days – from October 30, 2019 to February 9, 2020 – Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) will start charging motorists using the 10.7-kilometer subsection 6, 7, and 8 of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) starting February 10, 2020.

“The opening of CALAX subsections 6, 7 and 8 is imperative to reduce traffic congestion in various parts of Laguna specifically Laguna Boulevard and Aguinaldo Highway. It is a viable option for motorists given the growing traffic demands in the area,” said MPCALA Holdings Inc. president and general manager Roberto Bontia.

The Tolls Regulatory Board (TRB) has approved the following VAT-inclusive toll fees for the following vehicle classifications:

• Class 1 (ordinary cars and SUVs) P47
• Class 2 (buses and small commercial trucks) P95
• Class 3 (large trucks or trailers) P143

“The implementation of the initial base toll rates is necessary to ensure the sustainability and viability of the expressway as a safe and convenient thoroughfare. On our end, our services shall live up to the highest standard for our motorists to experience the convenience of traveling South using CALAX,” added Bontia.

Some 10,00 vehicles have been served by the initial three sections of CALAX, from South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Mamplasan to CALAX Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Interchange since its opening late last year and cut down travel time from 45 minutes down to 10.

Once completed, which according to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials will be sometime June 2022, the 45-kilometer two-by-two-lane CALAX will connect CAVITEX in Kawit, Cavite to SLEX at Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan, Laguna. It will ease traffic in the Cavite–Laguna region, particularly in Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay–Santa Rosa Road and Governor's Drive, and serve some 50,000 vehicles, reducing their travel time from two hours to only 45 minutes.

CALAX will have 10 interchanges – Kawit, Open Canal, ProFriends, Governor’s Drive, Silang, Silang East, Santa Rosa-Tagaytay, Laguna Blvd., Technopark, and Mamplasan – and offer innovative features such as an automotive license plate recognition system, IP-based speed detection cameras, and high-definition CCTV cameras.

Also Read: Traffic along Alabang to be rerouted this Feb. 16 – Here are the new routes