THE Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), also known as the Cebu-Cordova Bridge or the third Mactan Bridge, is now 80 percent complete.
Allan Alfon, president and general manager of Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway Corp. (CCLEC), said the company aims to finally connect the main deck of the bridge by December 2021 at the latest, as part of the 20 percent remaining work to be done.
On Friday, July 16, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar inspected the CCLEX and other major infrastructure projects in Metro Cebu.
Villar said he was satisfied with the progress of the CCLEX construction considering that once completed, the eight-kilometer bridge will be the longest and highest in the Philippines.
The remaining 20 percent construction work includes finishing touches on the bridge’s five-kilometer crossway, portions of the viaduct for both the Cordova town and Cebu City sides, and the complete installation of other structures like girders and diaphragms for lateral stability.
Alfon said while there were delays in the construction process due to the Covid-19 pandemic, CCLEC has already managed to overcome problems in the supply chain.
The construction progress was also hampered when some of their workers tested positive for Covid-19.
Alfon said CCLEC is confident the remaining 20 percent of the structural work will be completed by December 2021.
He said the bridge will be open to commuters by mid-February or first week of March 2022.
The bridge will serve all types of vehicles from four-wheeled cars, SUVs, vans and huge trucks to 400cc motorcycles, said Alfon.
The third bridge, which will help to decongest traffic at the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge and Marcelo Fernan Bridge, broke ground in 2017.
The idea of having a Mactan bridge linking Cebu City and Cordova town was first hatched by former Cordova mayor Adelino Sitoy, who died in April 2021.