THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 said construction of the already funded components of the Pilipog-Gabi Coastal Road Project in Cordova, Cebu is expected to be completed by middle of June 2021.
Vangie Cuadrasal, OIC chief of construction of DPWH 7, however, said the construction for the last component (covering about 700 meters) of the road project has not yet started as it still awaits funding; this part is located in Barangay Gabi and will connect the already constructed road components in Barangay Pilipog.
This is the coastal road in Cordova that will receive the traffic from the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX).
Cuadrasal said two of the four funded project components have been completed while the other two are 95 percent done.
The first project component, a 930-meter road located in Barangay Pilipog, has a contract amount of about P168 million.
This is funded by the DPWH 7 and is about 95 percent complete.
Cuadrasal said most of the remaining work involve concreting and will be done within May 2021.
The second component, which was undertaken by the Cebu Sixth District Engineering Office, is the 420-meter road (connected to the first 930 meters) also located in Barangay Pilipog. This component has been completed.
The third project component has a funding of P86 million from the DPWH 7. This involves the 388.9-meter road connected to the first two components in Barangay Pilipog. This has also been completed.
The fourth contract, which is located in Barangay Gabi, involves a 300-meter road project and has a funding of around P50 million from DPWH 7. It is expected to be completed by middle of June 2021.
She said the last component, which will connect the already constructed road in Barangays Pilipog and Gabi, was not included in the funding under their 2020 General Appropriations Act.
Meanwhile, the P30 billion worth 8.5-kilometer CCLEX, that will connect Cebu City and Cordova, is nearing its completion.
As of this month, the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC), which is implementing the construction of the toll expressway, reported that it is getting closer to connecting the bridge construction from Cebu City to Cordova.
About 152 meters remain before the main span is connected and 34 of the 56 cables required have been installed.
CCLEC president and general manager Allan Alfon assured that CCLEX’s target completion has not changed.
“First quarter of 2022 is the CCLEX target completion. We certainly appreciate the value of new road projects of DPWH and Cordova LGU to complement as important links to enhance flow of traffic to and from CCLEX,” he told SunStar Cebu.
“And since CCLEX is designed as a technology-driven and modern facility, we’re seriously looking into cashless or ETC or electronic toll collection, which can further result in an improved and efficient traffic flow,” Alfon added.
Asked whether the toll to be collected from motorists would remain the same in view of added costs due to the delay caused by the pandemic, Alfon said they are evaluating the impact of the pandemic, which increased their construction cost.
As stated in CCLEC’s Concession Agreement with the Cebu City Government and Cordova town on the use of the CCLEX, Class 1 vehicles, which include cars, jeepneys, pick-ups, vans, motorcycles, will have to pay the P85 toll. Class 2 vehicles or light trucks, and buses, will be charged P170 while Class 3 vehicles, which include heavy and multi-axled trucks and trailers, will have to pay P255. (With reports from Cherry Ann T. Lim)