Villar noted that the drive through the stretch would take just 10 minutes.

A segment of the 45-kilometer Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) will be opened to motorists next week, according to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar on Tuesday made a final inspection conducted by Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) president and general manager Bobby Bontia. The inspection covered the entry and exit points at Mamplasan, Biñan and the Sta-Rosa Tagaytay Road.

Villar told reporters that CALAX will be passable this 30 October, in time for the three-day All Souls’ Day weekend from 1 to 3 November.

“The CALAX project is 90 percent completed. The remaining 10 percent are portions of the expressway that need to be harmonized, we are fast-tracking those portions,” he said.

Approximately 10,000 cars are expected to enter and exit through Mamplasan and Sta. Rosa access points daily.

Villar noted that the drive through the stretch would take just 10 minutes, a considerable reduction in travel time when compared to the 45-minutes it currently takes.

Toll fees for the expressway will be waived during the first few months though the DPWH chief said a fee would be imposed once the expressway is in full operations.

The Laguna segment, which commenced construction in June 2017, includes a new 10-kilometer road that links the Silang (Aguinaldo) Interchange to the existing Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan.

The Cavite segment, on the other hand, is nine kilometers longer than the Laguna segment and starts from CAVITEX in Kawit, Cavite and ends at the Silang Interchange.

Designed to decongest the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay Road, Governor’s Drive, and Aguinaldo Highway, CALAX is a four-lane expressway that will connect CAVITEX in Kawit to South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) with the Mamplasan Interchange in Biñan Laguna.

It will have eight interchanges, namely: Kawit, Imus Open Canal, Governor’s Drive, Aguinaldo Highway, Silang, Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay, Laguna Blvd., Technopark and a Toll Barrier before SLEX.

The expressway will be a showcase of technologically advanced features. It will have an automatic license plate recognition system that enables barrier-less entry to CALAX, strategically placed IP-based speed detection cameras, and high definition CCTV cameras to cover the entire stretch of the expressway to ensure safe and efficient travel.