New roads change landscape, spur economic development

MANILA, Philippines — A growing optimism has spurred the industry sector as various infrastructure projects have continued to pave the path toward economic growth.

The anticipation of major road infrastructure, such as the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10, is drawing further new investments while expanding economic opportunities in the countryside.

Central Luzon, for instance, has been the country’s second fastest growing region, garnering an increase of 9.5 percent in gross regional domestic product in 2016, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).  Such economic vibrancy has been stimulated by a variety of factors, such as the ever-expanding network of efficient and modern expressways.

Consistent with the vision of the government’s massive infrastructure plan – the Build Build Build program – the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 is among the high impact projects that are seen to boost the productive capacity of the economy, create jobs, increase incomes, and ease traffic congestion in Metro Manila.

“We’re very excited that the vision of President Rodrigo Duterte for the Philippines is quickly becoming a reality, and part of it is the decongestion of Metro Manila traffic, which is one of the major thrusts of the Build Build Build,” said Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar in his speech during the progress inspection of the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 in Samson Road, Caloocan City.

NLEX Corp. president and chief executive officer Rodrigo Franco affirms the tollway company’s commitment as a “critical enabler” for industries to grow, and assures NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 motorists that “they will get the same seamless, safe, and comfortable travel experience already available in the NLEX.”

Driving commerce

The NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10, an 8.25-kilometer, 4-lane elevated expressway traversing MacArthur Highway in Karuhatan, Valenzuela City and eventually reaching Radial Road 10 in (R-10) Navotas City, will primarily cater to the transport logistics industry that operates between the port of Manila and Central and Northern Luzon provinces.

Freight forwarders, logistics services providers, truckers, and terminal operators —who are currently affected by the congestion through the major streets of Manila — may soon benefit from the direct access to NLEX from the R10 and vice-versa. Cargo trucks shall hence be spared from the truck ban and will subsequently experience quicker turn around.

Faster travel means more trips for cargo trucks, lesser trucking costs, and will even lead to on-time delivery of goods to different inland destinations.

Spurring economic activities

It can be recalled that in 2017 the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), reported that traffic congestion in Metro Manila results in an estimated economic productivity loss of around P3.5 billion a day and which will increase to about P6.0 billion per day by 2030 if no interventions would take place.

With the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 nearing its completion, one can already see a light at the end of the tunnel. Further, as the road network is crucial in creating an enabling business environment, the new expressway will also spur economic activities in the CAMANAVA (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela) area.

Cuts travel time by 50%

“We are optimistic that through the help of our partners in government, we will be able to finish the project in October this year to further deliver seamless and safe travel to our motorists,” said NLEX Corp. senior vice president for Tollways Development and Engineering Raul Ignacio.

With this alternative access to Central and Northern Luzon, we can expect improvement in traffic along major thoroughfares in Metro Manila and daily users can head straight to the NLEX bypassing EDSA and the Balintawak Toll Plaza altogether.

Travelers from Manila to North Luzon and vice-versa may anticipate a shorter travel time as the elevated expressway of Harbor Link has direct routes between the North Luzon, CAMANAVA, and Northern Manila areas. It also permits an average speed of 80kph, which cuts travel time by almost half.

Consequently, driving from NLEX Valenzuela to R10 in Navotas may only take 11 minutes from the usual travel time of 23 minutes (via Balintawak-Monumento), while driving From NLEX to Navotas via Cloverleaf Balintawak-A. Bonifacio/C3 may soon take only 13 minutes as compared to the current travel time of 26 minutes.

Much improved road safety

Motorists and the riding public are also assured of high-quality NLEX pavement that they have been used to when regularly traveling between Manila and the northern provinces of Luzon.

The NLEX Corp. – due to better road pavement and tighter traffic management – is geared to achieve much lower road incidents.

As the government’s PPP partner, NLEX Corp. provides fast, safe, and efficient transport infrastructure in the Philippines.

Source: https://www.philstar.com/business/business-as-usual/2018/06/18/1825479/business

P800-M Cavitex enhancement almost finished

The P800-million enhancement of the Manila-Cavite Expressway’s (Cavitex) will be completed by end of this July or early August, J. Luigi L. Bautista, President and CEO of proponent Cavite Infrastructure Corporation (CIC) announced during yesterday’s project inspection.

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar, inspected the ongoing construction of a flyover on the southbound lane, and road widening on both directions of the expressway.

“Cavitex, being the gateway to the Cavite, Laguna and Batangas provinces, responds to the challenges of progress,” he noted.

“More cars pass Cavitex year on year, a sign that Region 4A continues to boom, and is likely to become a highly progressive and viable area for more investments. The various enhancement projects in Cavitex will improve travel time here by around 20 to 30 minutes,” according to the DPWH secretary.

The Cavitex enhancement project aims to ease traffic in the area and respond to the traffic congestion being experienced by motorists.

The decongestion strategy of CIC comes in two phases.

The first phase costs about P400 million and covers the road widening from MIAA to Zapote, as well as the Southbound Flyover on the intersection of Pacific Avenue.

The second phase, worth about the same, consists of the bridge widening at the Wawa, Las Piñas area.
“These enhancement projects started late last year and were slated to finish by August 2018, but we will complete them within July 2018,” Bautista explained.

“On top of these, we are also adding 15 tollbooths – 3 on the northbound direction, 2 on the southbound direction, and 5 portable booths each on the north and south sides of the Parañaque toll plaza. This will effectively double our throughput capacity.”

“About 140,000 cars pass Cavitex at different periods of the day and we would like each one of them to have a good experience to take with them afterperiods of the day, and we would like each one of them to have a good experience to take with them after passing our expressway,” the CIC President added.

The Cavitex is the start of a road network being expanded by the Metro Pacific Tollways South, a subsidiary of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation.

It will connect to the 45 kilometer Cavite-Laguna Expressway until Mamplasan, Biñan, Laguna, giving motorists more travel options.

 

Source: https://business.mb.com.ph/2018/06/05/p800-m-cavitex-enhancement-almost-finished/

MPT South to extend Cavitex with P23.2-billion investment

AFTER investing roughly P700 million to enhance the capacity and decongest the Manila-Cavite Toll Expressway (Cavitex), Metro Pacific Tollways South Corp. (MPT South) plans to further extend the thoroughfare through a P23.2-billion investment to serve more motorists in the Southern Tagalog region.

Cavitex Infrastructure Corp. (CIC) President Luigi L. Bautista said his group plans to execute another portion of its concession agreement, which calls for the extension of the expressway to Rosario, and the linking of the thoroughfare to the future Cavite-Laguna Expressway (Calax).

“There are two segments we want to do: Segment 4, which will connect Cavitex to Calax; and Segment 5, which will extend Kawit to Rosario and has the potential to be extended to Tanza and Naic,” he said in an interview.

Currently, the company is finalizing the business proposal by the end of this month. It will be submitted to the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) thereafter.

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“Segment 5 is about P22 billion, which is only the portion that will extend up to Rosario. Segment 4 is about P1.2 billion,” he said.

This development comes as the company nears the completion of a P700-million investment on the enhancement of the Cavitex. It will come in two phases.

The first phase, which is about P400 million, entails the widening of the road from Miaa to Zapote, as well as the Southbound Flyover on the intersection of Pacific Avenue

The second phase, worth about P300 million, consists of the bridge widening at the Wawa, Las Piñas, area.

“These enhancement projects started late last year and were slated to finish by August 2018, but we will complete them within July 2018. On top of that, we are also adding 15 toll booths—three on the northbound direction, two on the southbound direction, and five portable booths on each on the north and south sides of the Paranaque toll plaza. This will effectively double our throughput capacity,” Bautista added.

Roughly 140,000 vehicles use the Cavitex daily.

CIC is a subsidiary of MPT South, one of the three tollways holding companies of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., the largest expressway operator in the Philippines.

 

Source: https://businessmirror.com.ph/mpt-south-to-extend-cavitex-with-p23-2-billion-investment/