Marcos: New Cavitex segment toll-free this April
The newly opened Manila-Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) C-5 Link Segment 3B will be free for use by motorists until the end of April to help those traveling during the Holy Week, according to President Marcos.
The President on Monday led the opening of the six-lane, 2-kilometer connector road, which is expected to cut travel time from the southern Metro Manila cities of Parañaque to Taguig from 1.5 hours to just 15 minutes. The 7.7-km expressway will also connect other southern cities in the capital region such as Makati, Pasay, and Las Piñas, as well as Bacoor and Kawit in Cavite.
The completion of the Cavitex C-5 Link is projected to accommodate about 36,000 vehicles daily and significantly improve the movement of people and goods, reduce travel costs, and ease traffic congestion during peak travel season.
The toll for Segment 3B will be waived from March 30 to April 30, “to give consideration to our fellow citizens who pass through here—especially since it’s now Holy Week and many people are traveling,” Mr. Marcos told reporters.
“This is a big help because it will decongest the area and reduce traffic on the smaller roads, since vehicles will pass through here instead,” he said.
The new road will also result in “significant savings on gasoline, crude oil, and fuel,” he added.
More mobility efforts
By May 1, toll will be collected from motorists passing through Cavitex C-5 Link: P38 for Class 1 vehicles (cars, motorcycles, SUVs, jeepneys); P76 for Class 2 (buses, light trucks); and P114 for Class 3 (heavy trucks).
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said the President ordered him and Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez to “open as many new roads as possible before the Holy Week to help cut travel time and reduce fuel consumption and expenses.”
Dizon said the public could expect more mobility efforts in the coming weeks, including the opening of the Central Luzon Link Expressway, connecting Tarlac City to Cabanatuan City, on Tuesday.
Authorities are also working to free the entire 3,380-km Maharlika Highway of obstructions to ensure uninterrupted travel during Holy Week.
Also called the Pan-Philippine Highway, Maharlika Highway connects the islands of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, and serves as the country’s principal transport backbone.
Delayed construction
The expedited opening of the monthslong delayed C-5 Link Segment 3B is part of the government’s Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, Food, and Transport response under the President’s Executive Order No. 110, which placed the country in a one-year state of energy emergency.
Cavitex Infrastructure Corp. (CIC), the concessionaire of Cavitex, tapped D.M. Consunji Inc. to construct Segment 3B for P3.3 billion.
Construction started in the second half of 2024, and the road was supposed to be operational as early as 2025. Right-of-way issues, however, delayed the construction, with the project cost ballooning to P4.98 billion.
CIC is a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., the toll road development arm of Manny V. Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Investments Corp.
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