Riding or driving can be fun along the expressways. But when you encounter things like a flat tire or engine trouble, things can turn south really fast, especially when you don’t have the proper tools or skills to fix your ride.
At CALAX, help will be there at just a press of a button.
MPCALA HOLDINGS INC (MHI), a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), has installed state-of-the-art emergency call boxes along the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX) with multi-modal communication features.
These newly-mounted Emergency Roadside Communication System (ERSC) call boxes enable communication between motorists and the CALAX Traffic Operations Center. Using the call boxes, motorists can get help with just a press of a button.
The call boxes have a built-in loudspeaker, camera, and hearing aids, designed for the hearing impaired. These ERCS boxes are strategically located along the expressway to be easily accessible in the event of an emergency. The ERCS is part of an overall system that enables motorists to communicate with CALAX Operations using various channels.
With the help of these new ERCS boxes, CALAX management hopes to reduce their response time to just 8 to 10 minutes, says Roberto Bontia, president and GM of MPTC South.
For Laguna-bound vehicles, these boxes are located on the emergency shoulder just before the Laguna Boulevard exit, while the other one is located near the lay-by area before the Laguna Technopark Interchange.
For Cavite-bound vehicles, these boxes can be accessed in the opposite side of the areas mentioned above.
CALAX is a 4-lane expressway that will soon connect the Manila-Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) in Kawit, Cavite to the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) at Greenfield (Mamplasan) Interchange in Biñan, Laguna. CALAX spans 45-kilometers with 8 interchanges at the following locations: Kawit, Governor’s Drive, Open Canal, Silang (Aguinaldo) Highway, Silang East, Santa Rosa-Tagaytay, Laguna Boulevard, and Laguna Technopark.
Once complete, it will serve about 45,000 vehicles while cutting travel time between Cavite and Laguna from 2 hours to under an hour. MPTC holds the concession rights for the CALAX, Cavitex, C-5 Link Expressway, North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), NLEX Connector Road, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX), and Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) in Cebu.
