New toll bridge linking Cebu and Mactan more than halfway done: proponent

MANILA - The new toll bridge that will link Mactan island to the main island of Cebu is more than halfway done, the project’s proponent said on Tuesday.

Metro Pacific Tollways Corp (MPTC), the parent firm of the builder of the P30-billion Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) said the project’s progress stands at 61 percent, with 48 percent of the construction done.

CCLEX will connect mainland Cebu from Cebu City to the Municipality of Cordova in Mactan Island.

MPTC said it is now installing stay cables that will hold the bridge deck, as well as the cross on top of the CCLEX pylons, which are iconic features of the project.

The Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC), a subsidiary of MPTC which is set to operate the new toll bridge when it's finished, said the project is “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 Allan Alfon, president and general manager of (CCLEC).

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CCLEC is undertaking the project under a joint venture agreement with the local government units of Cebu City and Cordova.

MPTC said the new toll bridge will have 14 stay cables on each side of the main bridge’s two towers.

“On the other hand, the cross, which will be luminous on four sides at night once finished, is 40 meters in height,” MPTC said.

The lighted cross symbolizes Cebu’s significant role as the cradle of Catholic devotion, the company added.

The expressway will have two lanes in each direction that can serve an estimated 50,000 vehicles daily, easing the traffic in the existing Marcelo Fernan Bridge and the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge.

• Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway 50 percent complete says developer