Cebu’s 3rd bridge now 47% complete

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) is almost halfway through for its 2021 completion target, reporting a 47.32 percent completion rate as of December.

The target completion date for the P30-billion project is on August 7, 2021, with a concession period of 35 years.

The Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC) will build, operate and maintain CCLEX under a joint-venture agreement with the Municipality of Cordova and the Cebu City Government.

CCLEC President and General Manager Allan Alfon disclosed that they already completed the substructures of its main bridge’s Tower 1 at the Cebu City side and Tower 2 at the Cordova side. They had successfully undertaken the lifting of the 480-ton form travelers.

“With the construction in full swing, we assured the motoring public that marine traffic at the Mactan Channel will continue as usual even as work for the main bridge above the navigational water starts,” said Alfon.

COWI-DCCD Project Manager Robert Uthwatt presented the special features of CCLEX- its iconic feature and resilient design.

Uthwatt said the iconic feature of CCLEX is a stainless steel cross on all four sides on top of the two 145-meter tall main pylons.

He said the latest local and international codes and standards are used for the resilient design of CCLEX.

In addition, a site- specific seismic hazard analysis was undertaken, and both the wind tunnel testing and 2D physical model test were conducted in the universities in Spain. A vessel collision study was also conducted.

To protect the structure from the destructive effects of an earthquake, a seismic isolation using lead rubber bearing was installed.

Uthwatt added the design for CCLEX can withstand up to a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which is the first in the Philippines.

He also showed the advanced engineering methods to be employed to make it possible not to close the Mactan Channel to marine vessels passing through it while constructing the main bridge above.

The bridge, with a height of 51 meters, will allow large vessels to pass underneath and at least 50,000 vehicles daily are expected to utilize the link. It has a design speed of 60 to 80 kilometers per hour.

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

There are currently at least 1,871 personnel who were fielded for the project.

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.

Further, Norconsult, a Norwegian consultancy firm, was also tapped as the project’s independent consultant.  GAN (FREEMAN)