Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. said Monday it expects to complete the P31-billion new expressway in Cebu province by February next year.
“Right now the project [Cebu-Cordoba Link Expressway] is 80-percent complete. Our expectation is by February of next year, at least this iconic bridge will be open for traffic. It will be a great boost for the people of Cebu and we are excited about this project,” MPTC president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco said.
The 8.5-kilometer CCLEX spans the Mactan Channel, linking Cebu City with the municipality of Cordova and outlying towns of Cebu province.
CCLEX will have two lanes in each direction that will provide a safe, quick and scenic passage to around 50,000 vehicles daily, easing the traffic in two old bridges–the Marcelo Fernan Bridge and the Mandaue-Mactan Bridge.
CCLEX has a design speed of 80 kilometers per hour and a navigational clearance or height of 51 meters to allow large vessels to pass underneath the bridge.
The expressway project in Cebu is being implemented by Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corp. under a joint venture agreement with the local governments of Cebu City and Cordova.
CCLEC is a subsidiary company of MPTC, the toll road arm of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. which is a publicly-listed infrastructure holding company and a member of the MVP Group.
MPTC reported a core income of P1.9 billion in the first half, up 105 percent from the same period last year.
Revenues went up 36 percent to P8.3 billion with improved traffic volumes benefitting from reduced mobility restrictions and continuing vaccine roll-out.