3rd bridge almost halfway done

CEBU, Philippines — The third bridge connecting the islands of Mactan and mainland Cebu is almost halfway done, an official of Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC) said yesterday.

CCLEC president and general manager Allan Alfon said the overall progress of the P30-billion toll bridge project, being an engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract, is now at 49.85 percent, while construction progress stands at 31.64 percent.

Civil work on the bridge started in July 2018 and is on track for completion by August 2021.

At least 1,871 personnel are fielded for the project.

Top Cebu officials and private sector executives conducted an onsite inspection yesterday, citing the bright prospects of a second economic boom of Cebu with the opening of CCLEX next year.

Among those who conducted the inspection were Cordova Municipal Mayor Mary Therese Sitoy-Cho, Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama, Metro Pacific Investment Corporation (MPIC) president and chief executive officer Jose Ma. Lim, and Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) president and chief executive officer Rodrigo Franco.

“The CCLEX is our first huge infrastructure investment in the Visayas, and we intend to expand and strengthen our presence here,” said Lim.

CCLEC, the firm behind CCLEX and MPTC’s subsidiary company, established a partnership with the Cebu City government and Cordova for the construction of the 8.5-kilometer bridge.

Sitoy-Cho said Cebu will once again be in the global map as one that would “leapfrog development in the south.”

She predicted accelerated growth in her town and neighboring towns when Cordova gets connected with Cebu City.

Once completed, the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) is seen to provide a safe, quick, and scenic passage to an estimated 50, 000 vehicles daily.

The CCLEX is also expected to decongest traffic in the two existing bridges—Mactan-Mandaue and Marcelo Fernan— and it will serve as an additional access to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

Franco said CCLEX, already an iconic structure, will feature a cross that will be luminous on four sides at night, as the cross highlights Cebu’s distinct role as the cradle of Christianity in the Philippines. The completion of the bridge in 2021 is also in time for the celebration of the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines.

It has a design speed of 80 kilometers per hour (kph) and a navigational clearance or height of 51 meters to allow large vessels to pass underneath the bridge, with a concession period of 35 years.

Moreover, Alfon said once the CCLEX operates, there will be toll fees depending on the type of vehicles passing by the bridge.

The toll fee for Class 1 vehicles, such as car, jeepney, van, pick-up, and motorcycle, will be P85; Class 2 vehicles like bus, truck, and Class 1 vehicle with trailer will be P160; and Class 3 vehicles, such as large truck and large truck with trailer will be P300.

Background

It was on March 2, 2017 when CCLEC broke ground on the CCLEX project which was graced by President Rodrigo Duterte.

On December 19, 2017, CCLEC awarded the “Design and Build” contract for CCLEX to Cebu Link Joint Venture (CLJV) which is 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.  KQD (FREEMAN)