The challenge
Cavite and Laguna are known for their industrial and commercial development, but their growth has led to increased traffic congestion as more people, goods and services are moving around.
Cavite and Laguna are known for their industrial and commercial development, but their growth has led to increased traffic congestion as more people, goods and services are moving around.
Arcadis provided Lender’s Technical Advisory service for the 45-kilometer expressway that will decongest traffic in key areas within Cavite and Laguna.
The Cavite-Laguna Expressway will provide a faster road travel experience for those going between the two provinces and the rest of Southern Luzon.
The provinces of Cavite and Laguna have been at the forefront of industrial development due to various economic zones established in the past decades. These designated areas provide attractive climate and incentive for business activities. At the same time, they also facilitate the flow of local and foreign investments and help generate job opportunities.
While Cavite and Laguna have become centers of investment for development in the country, their transportation network has, unfortunately, not kept pace with their rapid growth. As a result, traffic congestions on existing roadways, particularly on Governor's Drive and Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road, have become a regular occurrence, especially during peak hours.
Commuters and motorists within these provinces lose valuable time when roads get jammed due to traffic. Chronic congestion hurts the local economy, as it lowers international competitiveness and slows down productivity, the movement of goods and the delivery of services.
The continuous growth in these areas and the traffic issues that went alongside it spurred the government to initiate transport projects to address the worsening mobility problems in the region. One of them was the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX), a public-private partnership project with our client, MPCALA Holdings Inc., which serves as the private proponent.
The PHP35.43-billion project involves the construction of a four-lane closed-system tolled expressway connecting the Cavite Expressway (CAVITEX) and the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX). Once completed, it will reduce travel time to 45 minutes, provide vital transportation access to both provinces, and improve current and future traffic flow to and from Metro Manila and the Southern Tagalog region, which is composed of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon (CALABARZON).
As an Independent Technical Advisor, we give insights into the project to enable informed decisions utilizing our team's commercial, project management, advisory and financial expertise. Our work involves cost, program, procurement and contracts review to provide the client with an honest assessment of the project’s progress, including potential risks, uncertainties and mitigation strategies to ensure that the CALAX project will be completed safely, within budget and on time.
With the opening of CALAX, traffic-weary commuters will find relief, as this new expressway will provide a faster, safer and more comfortable alternative route that makes it easier for them to get to work and home again.
Apart from reducing travel time between CAVITEX and SLEX from 2 hours to only 45 minutes, the expressway will also help usher in economic growth for the areas it traverses, making them ideal locations for logistics, commercial, real estate and tourism investments. Also, with the improved traffic conditions brought by CALAX, the movement of goods will become more reliable, making the area an even more attractive destination for investors. With this increased competitiveness, more jobs will be created for residents, making Cavite and Laguna even better places for people to live and work.