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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/

Metro Pacific Tollways introduces latest tech to speed traffic

By Manila Bulletin, as seen on https://business.mb.com.ph/2018/02/16/metro-pacific-tollways-introduces-latest-tech-to-speed-traffic/, February 16, 2018, 10:00 PM

Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), the tollways arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), announced the introduction of the latest Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)  technology to ease travel  through major tollroads managed by  MPTC in Northern and Southern Luzon.

EasyDrive (powered by EasyTrip) is the country’s first RFID sticker tag used for toll payment instead of cash. It uses a paper-thin battery-less sticker that contains a chip and antenna; attached to a vehicle’s windshield or headlamp, it can be used at EasyDrive dedicated or mix toll lanes on Cavitex.

The times are even longer during public holidays such as All Saints’ Day, Holy Week,  and Christmas holidays, MPTC said.MPTC said  163,162 private vehicles are now installed with MPTC’s RFID tag stickers, allowing them to quickly pass through toll gates in the north and south.  According to data, it takes 9 to 12 seconds to pass through SLEX/NLEX and Cavitex toll plazas for motorists paying cash, but only 2 to 4 seconds to enter and exit of cars with EasyDrive or EasyTrip stickers.

“It is our corporate objective to provide motorists with an efficient and quicker access of expressways to allow them to reach their destination conveniently and faster,” Rodrigo Franco, MPTC president, said.

Similar RFID sticker tags are now being used on tollways in the United States, Canada, Taiwan,  and in some parts in Europe, he said.

Franco also announced that MPTC has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to provide RFID sicker tags to its emergency vehicles to allow them to respond to emergencies.

The RFID sticker tags were installed in  100 MMDA emergency response vehicles bearing an initial load of R500. Upon depletion of the initial load,  the MMDA will take over the responsibility of loading the RFID tags for quick and easy access to toll roads.

The partnership is expected to speed up the MMDA’s emergency response vehicles’ entry and exit in the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway toll areas in the north, and Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) in the south.

“We are pleased to partner with MPIC/MPTC,” said Danny Lim, MMDA chairman. “This will allow us to quickly extend our Metro-wide services particularly in areas within the metropolis where we need to pass through NLEX and Cavitex toll plazas.”

NLEX Allocates P19B Capex To Help Improve Metro Manila Traffic

This year, the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Corporation is setting aside P19 billion in capital expenditure to help solve Metro Manila’s daily traffic bottlenecks.

However, the tollways firm clarified that the capex figure will still be subject to review and adjustment, depending on the result of its ongoing tariff adjustment discussion with the government, according to NLEX Corporation President and CEO Rodrigo Franco.

The bulk of the company’s 2018 capital expenditure will be used to construct the urban portions of the NLEX, such as the Harbor Link Segment 10, including the R10 Section in Dagat-Dagatan, Navotas City and the Public Private Partnership (PPP) project of the Department of Public Works (DPWH), the NLEX-South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Connector Road project.

Expected to be opened this year, Harbor Link Segment 10 is a 5.7-km elevated expressway traversing the NLEX from Smart Connect Interchange and crossover Mac Arthur Highway in Valenzuela City with down ramps along C3/5th Avenue Interchange in Caloocan City.

Once the Harbor Link is completed, travel between the Ports of Manila and the NLEX will take only 10 minutes and will provide direct expressway access for commercial vehicles, especially heavy trucks.

Around 40,000 vehicles traversing the Ports of Manila and the NLEX daily will benefit from the Harbor Link.

The tollways firm will also start construction of the NLEX-SLEX Connector Road Project, an 8-kilometer all-elevated PPP project of the DPWH above the existing PNR tracks from the C3/5th Avenue Interchange in Caloocan City to the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), Sta. Mesa, Manila.

Upon its completion in 2021, the elevated expressway will provide motorists another alternative to the daily heavy traffic on EDSA. It is also expected to reduce travel time between NLEX and SLEX from 2 hours to only 20 minutes.

In support of the continuing infrastructure initiatives of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), the tollways firm will also undertake capacity expansion of the 8-km Subic Freeport Expressway.

NLEX Corporation will construct 16 new lane kilometers thus boosting Subic port as a prime logistics hub.

Through its subsidiary, NLEX Ventures Corporation (NVC), the tollways firm has also started construction of a new expressway service facility and rest area along Km. 17 Southbound of the NLEX.

The new 15,500-square meter facility, called NLEX Drive & Dine, will follow a mini-mall concept that will feature a wide variety of retail, food and commercial services for NLEX customers.

To support the rapidly growing areas north of Manila, NLEX Corporation is also constructing two major traffic decongestion projects in Mabalacat City, Pampanga such as the new Sta. Ines Interchange and the new Mabiga Interchange in 2018.

The conversion of the narrow SCTEX Mabiga exit into a full diamond interchange with new entry and exit toll plazas will introduce another alternative access to the SCTEX via the MacArthur Highway.

“These investments support the government’s initiatives to ease the daily traffic woes of our commuters, drive commerce, and ensure safe and convenient travel in our expressways and maintain high-quality service” Franco concluded.

 

Source: https://business.mb.com.ph/2018/01/12/nlex-allocates-p19-billion-capex-for-2018/