CCLEX gaining traction, traffic slow to build up

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) is expected to reach its target traffic of 40,000 motorists a day only by 2025 due to delays in the completion of public projects that would complement the bridge.

CCLEX Corp. president and general manager Allan Alfon told the STAR that motorist volume in the expressway has increased to 14,000 a day.However, Alfon said that the figure remains far from the projected 20,000 for this year and 40,000 for next year, admitting that it might be difficult to hit the target numbers due to the delays in the delivery of government works that would boost mobility activity in Cebu.

For one, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has yet to issue the operations and maintenance contract for the Metro Cebu Expressway (MCE). The DPWH is expected to bid out the road project this year, specifically the right to build and manage the P94.07 billion MCE.

The MCE will stretch for a total of 73 kilometers and should link Naga City in the south of Cebu to Danao City in the north. CCLEC, leaning on its engineering portfolio of having built CCLEX, will vie for the contract to operate and maintain the MCE.

Given the delay in the completion of other projects, CCLEX may hit its daily traffic volume of 40,000 only by 2025 or 2026.

“Probably [we can reach 40,000 motorists a day] by 2025 or 2026 because we are also projecting how soon can the government deliver what it committed to complement what the private sector invested both on the island side and the city side,” Alfon said.

To date, CCLEC is earning as much as P1.4 million every day from toll collection, with fees set at P90 for Class 1, P180 for Class 2 and P270 for Class 3.

On the other hand, CCLEC can raise P4 million a day once daily traffic in the expressway climbs to 40,000. Alfon believes that motorist volume in CCLEX will go up when public works pursued by the local and national governments are finished.

According to Alfon, some of these road works should make CCLEX a viable crossroad between Mactan Island and Cebu City. For one, the government is expanding the Mactan Circumferential Road in Cordova, widening the access road to CCLEX.

“We are confident by and by, that for the next few months or years, traffic will continue to grow given our effort to aggressively market our project to the Cebuanos and to tourists,” Alfon said.

CCLEC, a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp.–the toll road development division of the Metro Pacific Investments Corp. – built and operates the cable-stayed bridge that is turning out to be a tourism magnet itself for its architectural wonder.