MPIC’s toll road unit taps foreign partner to expand CCLEx
Rogelio Singson —PHOTO FROM MPTC
MANILA, Philippines — Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) will engage a foreign partner to work on the expansion of Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEx) to increase daily vehicle volume and improve the toll road’s viability.
Rogelio Singson, MPTC president and CEO, told reporters last week they “are in talks with a foreign company” for the expansion project estimated to cost P7 billion.
The negotiations are targeted to be completed in two months. In addition, the MPTC chief said they were discussing the matter with the local government units.
MPTC is the tollways unit of Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Metro Pacific Investments Corp (MPIC).
Singson said they must extend the toll road on both sides to make it more accessible to more motorists, citing the need to establish links to Bacalso and Lapu-Lapu.
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Based on their estimates, CCLEx is hitting only 30 percent of its daily vehicle volume projection of 60,000. This is because the older bridges, Marcelo Fernan and Osmeña Jr. Bridges, are more accessible to motorists, according to Singson.
Bridge and ramp
The P33-billion CCLEx, inaugurated in April 2022, is Cebu’s third bridge built to ease traffic in the area. The civil works for CCLEx began on July 5, 2018.
The 8.9-kilometer toll bridge connects mainland Cebu from Cebu City to Cordova town on Mactan Island. It has a design speed of 60 km to 80 km per hour and a navigational clearance of 52 meters, allowing shipping traffic below.
READ: MPTC unit targets to complete CCLEx Guadalupe ramp in 2026
Apart from the city road extension, MPTC unit CCLEx Corp. is currently working on a P1-billion ramp project linking CCLEx to Guadalupe City.
It is targeted to be completed by 2026. The groundbreaking ceremony was held in November 2022.
The 2-km infrastructure project can accommodate per day an additional 10,000 to 12,000 vehicles using the toll road.
MPTC is also pursuing other expansion projects in Luzon amid higher traffic. These include the Manila-Cavite Expressway (Cavitex) C5 Link Expressway and the toll road linking Cavitex and Cavite-Laguna Expressway.
Overseas, the Pangilinan-led group is in the process of purchasing a 35-percent stake in the 676-km Trans-Java toll road in Indonesia. INQ
