Cebu iconic landmark inaugurated

‘CCLEX is longest, tallest bridge in country’

CEBU – President Rodrigo Duterte led officials in the inauguration of the 8.5km Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), now the longest and tallest bridge in the country. 

The bridge links Cebu City with Cordova on Mactan Island. More than 50,000 vehicles are expected to use the bridge daily, cutting the travel time between Mactan and Cebu International Airport by 40 minutes, and relieving congestion on the existing inter-island crossings. 

(CCLEX)

Operated as a toll expressway, the artistically designed CCLEX will have two lanes in each direction and 51-meter navigational clearance for shipping traffic. With its design speed of 80 kilometers per hour, CCLEX is expected to serve at least 50,000 vehicles daily. 

Project developer Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC), a subsidiary company of Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC), said the CCLEX will not only decongest traffic in the two existing bridges, but also increase economic activities in Cebu and throughout the Visayas Region.

The opening of the CCLEX coincided with the 501st commemoration of the Kadaugan sa Mactan or Victory in Mactan, which marks the victory of the warriors of Mactan under chieftain Lapulapu over the Spanish armada led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. 

“I congratulate Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation, Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corporation, the local government units of Cebu City and Cordova on the completion of this new iconic landmark, despite the challenges brought about by so many problems, the pandemic and (Typhoon) Odette. Your support for this Administration’s goal to boost regional development, provide a comfortable life for every Filipino and realize our vision of a strongly connected nation is truly commendable, while your hard work and dedication to ensure the completion of this monumental task are equally noteworthy,” Duterte said.  

“It is also such an opportune and relevant time to inaugurate the CCLEX as it coincides with the celebration of our ancestors’ victory in Mactan more than 500 years ago. I am glad to see the sheer will and determination of our forebears being resonated in our people today as we open this transport facility to the public. This state-of-the-art infrastructure will provide a solution to the perennial traffic issues of Metro Cebu,” he added. 

MPTC Chairman Manuel Pangilinan also thanked Duterte for leading the inauguration ceremony. “We are happy and honored to have come to this point, opening the biggest infrastructure project in this part of the country. We thank President Duterte for honoring us by being part of this historic event.” 

“Not far from here 501 years ago, the Cebuanos celebrated a victory in a pitched battle against a superior force. Today, we mark a different milestone, a modern victory not of arms but of engineering and construction that gave us such a beautiful structure that has now become an icon of Cebu,” he added. 

Work on the CCLEX started on July 5, 2018, with ceremonies marking the beginning of civil works. It is MPTC’s first toll road project outside Luzon. CCLEX has a design speed of 60 to 80 kilometers per hour (kph) and a navigational clearance or height of 52 meters to allow large vessels to pass underneath the bridge. 

CCLEX will use an all-electronic toll collection system. To give more time to motorists to have the RFID sticker installed on their vehicles, cash payments will be accepted in the meantime. The full electronic toll collection will be implemented by June. 

CCLEC President and General Manager Allan Alfon said that motorcycles below 400cc will be allowed on the CCLEX. “This is to make this facility more inclusive and accessible to residents and answer a strong clamor from motorcycle users. We encourage motorists to have the CCLEX RFID installed on their vehicles, including motorcycles, in preparation for the electronic and automated toll collection by June,” he said. (Cebu Examiner)