The Department of Public Works and Highways said construction of the proposed P25.24-billion Cavite Tagaytay Batangas Expressway or CTBEX by Metro Pacific Tollways South will push through.

In a recent interview with reporters, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan contended that the project follows the government’s Build Better More Program that seeks to address the country’s infrastructure gap and traffic congestion issues.

Bonoan assured that the proposal will not conflict with San Miguel Corporation’s Cavite Batangas Expressway or CBEX, which the Cavite government recently greenlighted.

“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 how we can interconnect the two, plus the alignment,” the DPWH chief told reporters.

Cavite, Batangas linked

CTBEX is a 50.43-kilometer expressway that will connect Cavite and Batangas, with a spur road to Tagaytay City and ultimately terminating in Nasugbu and another spur road to Tuy, Batangas.

CTBEX, which is expected to decongest about 23,000 vehicles daily from the nearby thoroughfares, will start at Silang East Interchange of the Cavite-Laguna Expressway.

The alignment will traverse the towns of Silang, Amadeo, Mendez, Alfonso and Tagaytay in Cavite and Nasugbu in Batangas.

It can be recalled that the DPWH granted the original proponent status to MPTC for the construction of CTBEX in 2018.

The MPTC Group has a total of 240.6 kilometers of existing and 43.1kilometer under the construction of expressway projects in the Philippines with a total investment of $3.06billion

It currently operates the 105-kilometer North Luzon Expressway, the 94-km Subic Clark-Tarlac Expressway, and the 14-km Manila-Cavite Expressway. It also currently operates the 8.5km Cebu-Cordova Link expressway in Cebu project.