The Iloilo–Capiz–Aklan Expressway (ICAEX), also known as the Panay Expressway, is a proposed 4-lane, , full-access controlled toll expressway on the island of

Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and a total population of 4,542,926, as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City of Il ...

in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. It will comprise elevated roadways, viaducts, a tunnel, and a long-span bridge. The project will traverse the two cities of Passi and Roxas and 20 municipalities across the three provinces of

Aklan Aklan, officially the Province of Aklan, is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. Its capital and largest town is Kalibo. The province is situated in the northwest portion of Panay, Panay Islan ...

Capiz Capiz (), officially the Province of Capiz (Capiznon language, Capiznon/Hiligaynon language, Hiligaynon: ''Kapuoran sang Capiz''; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the central part of the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines ...

, and

Iloilo Iloilo ( ; ), officially the Province of Iloilo (; ; ; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. Its capital and largest city is Iloilo City, the regional center of Western Visayas and politically independen ...

Panay Island Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and a total population of 4,542,926, as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City of I ...

. The main entry point in Iloilo will be located in Barangay M.V. Hechanova in the municipality of Leganes, north of

Iloilo City Iloilo City, officially the City of Iloilo (; ; ), is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Western Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region of the Philippines, located on the southeastern coast of th ...

. This location was chosen strategically for its proximity to the proposed bridge approach of the Panay-Guimaras Bridge, which is part of the Panay–Guimaras–Negros Island Bridges Project. The expressway's exit point will be located in Malay, Aklan, which is the gateway to

Boracay Boracay (; sometimes shortened by non-natives as Bora) is a resort island in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, located off the northwest coast of Panay, Panay Island. It has a total land area of , under the jurisdiction of thre ...

. The Boracay Bridge is also being proposed under the

Department of Public Works and Highways The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH; ) is the executive department of the Philippine government responsible for serving as the country's engineering and construction arm. It is tasked with implementing the government's policy to ...

(DPWH)'s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects and may also be connected to the expressway once completed. The ICAEX aims to reduce travel time between the provinces of Aklan, Capiz, and Iloilo and to eliminate congestion on existing highways by bypassing chokepoints in populated areas. It also seeks to enhance the logistics network, emergency response, and tourism in

Western Visayas Western Visayas (; ; ) is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VI. The region comprises the islands of Panay and Guimaras Island, Guimaras. It consists of five Provinces of the ...

. The project is expected to reduce the travel time between Iloilo City and Boracay to 2.5 hours, down from 6 to 7 hours.

History

The Iloilo–Capiz–Aklan Expressway was initially unveiled as the Panay Expressway by then-President

Rodrigo Duterte Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945) is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the first Philippine president from Mindanao, and is the oldest person to assum ...

in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in 2016, along with the proposed revival of

Panay Railways Panay Railways, Inc. is a government-owned and controlled corporation of the Philippines that formerly operated railway systems on the islands of Panay and Cebu. It is headquartered in La Paz, Iloilo City, and is a subsidiary of Phividec Railw ...

. However, the project was never finalized. The expressway was proposed again by the

(DPWH) in 2022. The current administration, under President

Bongbong Marcos Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. (, , ; born September 13, 1957), commonly referred to by the initials BBM or PBBM, is a Filipino politician who has served as the 17th president of the Philippines since 2022. He is the second child ...

, has shown support for the project, advancing it as a potential future development. It is now considered a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative, with a feasibility study expected to be completed in 2024.

References

External links

Iloilo-Capiz-Aklan Expressway (ICAEx)
{{Philippine expressway network Proposed roads in the Philippines Roads in Iloilo Roads in Capiz Roads in Aklan Toll roads in the Philippines