South expressways see more traffic

MANILA, Philippines — Expressways south of Greater Manila are expected to have a double-digit traffic volume increase during the holiday season, buoyed by the opening of new exits that brought them closer to tourist hotbeds.

The Metro Pacific Tollways (MPT) South expects daily traffic at the Manila-Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) to balloon by at least 15 percent in the third to fourth week of December.

MPT South estimates that the traffic footprint at Cavitex will grow to 208,000 a day, from 181,000 at present, due to the resurgence of motorists headed to Manila from Cavite.

Daily traffic at the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (Calax) is projected to jump by more than a third to 47,000 during the holiday stretch. 

The company attributed the growth to the recent opening of the Aguinaldo Interchange.

The exit, which opened in November, provides travelers with another access road that leads to tourist hotspot Tagaytay City.

Motorists are allowed to use the new subsection of Calax for free until further notice.

The Aguinaldo Interchange stretches a total of 3.9 kilometers and it is expected to decongest the usual buildup along Aguinaldo Highway, one of the busiest thoroughfares in Cavite.

In response to the holiday demand, MPT South will declare a high alert status for Cavitex and Calax between Dec. 22 and 24; Dec. 26 and 27 and Dec. 30 and Jan. 2.

This means that MPT South will deploy additional roadside support for motorists, with services ranging from traffic management and toll collection, to incident response and medical rescue.

MPT president Raul Ignacio said that free towing will also be provided for Class 1 vehicles up to the nearest exit. 

He also asked motorists to plan their holidays and top up their RFIDs to avoid queueing for payment at the toll gates.

MPT South will invest P11.95 billion in 2024 and 2025 for the completion of expansion projects in Cavitex, including the C5 Link, and Calax.