DPWH green lights MPTC Cavite-Tagaytay-Batangas Expressway

The way things are shaping up, motorists could likely have two expressways to access when going from Cavite to Batangas, and vice versa.

According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan, construction of the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC)-proposed Cavite-Tagaytay-Batangas Expressway (CTBEx) and the San Miguel Holdings-proposed Cavite-Batangas Expressway (CBEx) projects will both push through without any conflict between the two toll operators.

In 2018, DPWH granted original proponent status to MPTC for the PHP 25.24-billion CTBEx project, which is a 50.43-kilometer expressway that will start at the Silang East Interchange of CALAX, then pass through the towns of Amadeo, Mendez, Alfonso and Tagaytay in Cavite and Nasugbu in Batangas.

Meanwhile, the Cavite provincial government signed a joint venture and a 35-year tollway concession agreement with San Miguel Holdings, Inc. for the PHP 27-billion CBEx project last February 27. The 27.06-kilometer toll road will likewise traverse Silang, Amadeo, Tagaytay, lndang, Mendez and Alfonso in Cavite and Nasugbu, Batangas.

"The two projects will push through, but we will have to iron out some pending issues so that both of them can start ... Let's see on how we can interconnect the two and plus the alignment," said Bonoan.

Both projects are clearly beneficial for enhancing the mobility of people and goods in the area, but how do you think will CTBEx and CBEx coexist? Let's just hope the interconnectivity issues won't cause any further delays in the construction of both expressways.