MPIC Bridges The Gap For Cebu-Cordova’s Economic Growth

Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) has closed a two-meter gap between the bridge decks of Tower 1 and Tower in its P30B Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) this month, ensuring the completion of what has been touted as an engineering marvel that will set new avenues of economic growth in Cebu and its environs.

Photo Insert: MPIC leadership and government and private partners oversee the CCLEX construction as the country’s largest P30B water-crossing infrastructure is set to be completed.

The 8.9-kilometer CCLEX will be open to the public for commercial operations in the first quarter of next year and this early, it has already resulted in a 10 times rise in land prices from when the bridge was not yet in full view.

Connecting the municipality of Cordova with that of Cebu, it is the third bridge that will cross over to the Mactan International Airport and is expected to benefit an interior municipality of Cebu to economic growth.

The bridge will be using a fully electronic toll collection system and is fitted with several state-of-the-art types of equipment, including a Road Weather Information System that provides weather watches and warnings for public safety.

CCLEX, MPIC’s first toll road project outside Luzon, has surmounted unprecedented challenges brought upon by the pandemic, but it is one of the ways that MPIC has undertaken to foster economic growth as it boosts its thrust as a reliable partner of government in achieving progress especially in the countryside.

In partnership with the local government units of Cebu City and the Municipality of Cordova, the complex project spanned more than three years of non-stop construction, now cited as an “engineering marvel” and expected to become a tourist attraction within itself.

“It is with pride that we commemorate this milestone for CCLEX, given the current circumstances that could have easily hindered our progress,” said MPIC President and CEO Jose Ma. K. Lim. “Through the resolve of all sectors involved, primarily MPTC and CCLEC, we are gradually reigniting the economy of one of the most dynamic metropolitan areas in the country. It is a strategic step towards spurring industrial growth all throughout the Visayas region.”

CCLEX measures 8.5 kilometers long and rises 51 meters from sea level, posing it to become the country’s largest water-crossing infrastructure. The bridge is built with a navigational clearance to allow large vessels to safely traverse a path underneath the bridge.

Photo Insert: Construction workers pour concrete to complete the gaps on the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway bridge.

The bridge expressway will have two lanes in each direction and will feature the main twin cable-stayed bridge, viaduct approach bridges, a causeway, and toll facilities. Spanning eight kilometers from the mouth of the Guadalupe River to Shell Island and then Cordova, the project will connect mainland Cebu to the Municipality of Cordova and is expected to serve at least 50,000 vehicles daily.

MPIC’s investment in the region has continuously been cited as an integral factor in the municipality’s rapid economic development. Akin to what the conglomerate has done for Metro Manila, the bridge project is effectively set to help in the daily lives of Cebuanos.

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