Muntinlupa-Cavite expressway opens July 24

MANILA, Philippines (2nd UPDATE) – The Muntinlupa-Cavite expressway (MCX), formerly the Daang Hari-South Luzon expressway link road project, was finally opened to motorists Friday, July 24.

MCX is the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) road project under the administration of President Benigno S. Aquino III. (READ: PH’s PPP thrust: Work in progress) Aquino graced the expressway inauguration on Friday.

Upon his arrival, Aquino personally drove his SUV to the toll booth, making him the first customer of the expressway.

MCX is a 4-kilometer, 4-lane toll road that is part of a network of tollroads such as the South Luzon expressway (SLEX); North Luzon expressway (NLEX); Manila-Cavite toll expressway (CAVITEX); Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union expressway (TPLEX); and the Cavite-Laguna expressway (CALAX) project.

Goodwill act

The soft opening of MCX was set from July 21 to 22, and will be fully operational by Friday.

At the inauguration of MCX on Friday, Ayala Corporation chairman and chief executive officer Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala said  that as a “sign of goodwill,” the expressway will be free for motorists during the first month of its opening.

The MCX toll rates are set at P17 ($0.37) for Class 1 vehicles; P34 ($0.75) for Class 2 vehicles; and P51 ($1.12) for Class 3 vehicles.

Zobel de Ayala said the conglemerate always believed in the power of public-private partnership under the Aquino administration.

“We have been delighted to be able to participate and I think your initiatives on this front have made a big difference to the movement of infrastructure in our country and it has been a great privilege for us, Mr. President, to be part of it,” he added.

Zobel de Ayala also expressed his willingness to undertake more PPP projects with the government, hoping that the next president would “continue with a similar set of policies” as Aquino.

Shorter travel time

MCX shall serve as an alternative route from Metro Manila to Cavite and vice versa, cutting travel time by an average of 45 minutes and decongesting traffic in Cavite, Las Piñas, and Muntinlupa area.

It will also provide new access to the National Bilibid Prison (NBP) property in Muntinlupa City, which is intended to be redeveloped into a mixed commercial, residential, and institutional estate.

“We’re optimistic that the completion of this tollroad would improve CALABARZON’s (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) competitiveness as an investment destination,” said Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson.

The P2-billion ($44.20-million) MCX PPP project is under the public works department, with Ayala Corporation as the private proponent. Renaming the project to MCX is for “descriptive, catchy, and easy brand recall” purposes, Ayala said in a presentation in November last year. (READ: Ayala in talks for ‘seamless’ Muntinlupa-Cavite Expressway)

It involves the construction of two segments: Segment 1 which starts at junction Daang Hari-Daang Reyna, Elliptical Road or Rotunda, kilometer (km) 0+000 and ends in Sta. 2+300; and Segment 2 from 2+300 and ends at SLEX near Susana Heights Interchange, km 4+000. – Rappler.com