P300 billion toll bridge soon to rise in Cebu

New bridge linking Cebu and Cordova, Mactan nears 60% progress

Motorists from Cebu will soon be enjoying faster travel to and from the Cordova side of Mactan Island as the ₱300-billion Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway’s (CCLEX) construction is right on schedule, to be completed by next year.

“CCLEX is set to be nearing substantial completion in 2021. Despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, we commit to continue working hard towards completing the project next year for the benefit of the Cebuanos. It is something we look forward to, given the current conditions,” said Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC) President and General Manager, Allan Alfon.

^{One of CCLEX' pylons under construction}

Set to be a new landmark in the country, CCLEX will connect the mainland Cebu to Mactan Island via Cebu City to the Municipality of Cordova. Currently, access from mainland Cebu to Cordova is by passing through Mactan and its two bridges: Fernan Bridge and Osmeña Bridge.

The overall engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) progress of the project stands at 61 percent while construction progress alone is at 48 percent.

Marking this significant development is the installation of its stay cables that will hold the bridge deck and the installation of the cross on top of the CCLEX pylons, one of the iconic features of the project.

With the new ₱300-billion Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, motorists will have a faster toll route option which will land them directly in Cordova. An estimated 50,000 vehicles daily will use CCLEX. The connection is also seen to spur trade activities and open greater economic opportunities for Cebu and the rest of the Visayas region.

CCLEC, a subsidiary company of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), is undertaking the CCLEX project under a joint venture agreement with the local government units of Cebu City and Cordova.

Cebu Link Joint Venture (CLJV) is the “Build and Design” contractor for the CCLEX project. CLJV is a consortium of Spanish company Acciona Construccion S.A. and Filipino companies First Balfour, and D. M. Consunji, Inc.

CCLEC also engaged the services of COWI A/S of Denmark with the Philippines’ DCCD Engineering Corporation, as its sub-consultant, to be the project’s technical advisor/owner’s engineer. Norconsult, a Norwegian consultancy firm, was also tapped as the project’s independent consultant.