Consunji-Lopez consortium bags P22.6B Cebu Cordova bridge project

Cebu Cordova bridge is Metro Pacific’s first project outside Luzon

A construction and engineering consortium formed by the Consunji, Lopez and Spain-based Acciona Construccion S.A. has bagged a P22.6-billion design and build contract for Metro Pacific group’s 8.5-kilometer bridge project that will connect Cebu City to the Municipality of Cordova in the island of Mactan.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Monday, conglomerates DMCI Holdings, Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and First Philippine Holdings Corp. (FPH) said the notice of award for the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) had been issued to Cebu Link Joint Venture (CLJV) at an agreed contract amount of P22.6 billion.

CLJV is a joint venture of Acciona Construccion, FPH’s First Balfour Inc. and DMCI’s D. M. Consunji Inc., which all have proven track records in major infrastructure projects.

The notice of award was issued by Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corp. (CCLEC), a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC), the tollroad arm of Metro Pacific. CCLEC will build, operate and maintain the toll bridge through a joint venture agreement with the local governments of Cebu City and Cordova Municipality.

CCLEX, which is targeted to be completed by 2020, is the first of MPTC’s envisioned toll road expansion projects in Visayas and Mindanao.

Acciona’s Ruben Camba, representing the CLJV, said: “We are delighted to be part of this landmark project. We have put together a very experienced team, and are looking forward to working closely together with the customer to deliver a new toll bridge that will benefit both local communities and the Philippines.”

“We are very confident that we can deliver a quality state-of-the-art bridge that will provide not just travel efficiency but also drive economic growth and productivity in the entire Visayas region, and improve the overall welfare of the Cebuanos,” CCLEC president and general manager Allan Alfon said.

“We are happy to be given this opportunity to bring to Cebu and share with the Cebuanos and the people in the Visayas in general, our company’s expertise in building and operating world-class highways and bridges to create more opportunities and spur economic growth,” MPTC president Rodrigo Franco said.

CCLEX will have two lanes in each direction and will feature the main navigation span bridge, along with viaduct approach bridges, a causeway, roadway and toll facilities. The span of the bridge allows for shipping traffic and the link is expected to serve at least 40,000 vehicles daily.

The bridge is seen to give Cordova direct access to Cebu City and decongest the traffic in the two existing bridges between Mactan and Cebu.

President Rodrigo Duterte led the groundbreaking ceremony for the project in Cordova, Cebu last March 2, 2017.