CCLEX Guide: All About The Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway

Bridges not only connect islands, it also brings people closer. And with the distance cut short by bridges, comes along progress. The Philippines, being an archipelago, has a fair share of bridges that hops from one island to another. Making it easier for tourists to access places without having to think of the stressful traffic.

Cebu does not fall short with bridges that parallel its rich history. Recently, it opened a new bridge that’s grander in scale than the first two bridges that were built to connect Mactan Island and Cebu. Grander, in fact, that it is currently the longest and tallest bridge in the Philippines, surpassing that of San Juanico Bridge, and Candaba Viaduct. Read below to know more about the massive engineering marvel, that is CCLEX.

Built in the first quarter of 2017, this 8.9-kilometer monumental beauty opened its gates to motorists on April 30, 2022. CCLEX connects the island of Cordova to Mainland Cebu via Cebu South Coastal Road.

Thanks to the CCLEX, tourists from Cordova can now easily access malls and hotels such as SM Seaside City, Il Corso, and many more. Conversely, tourists hailing from the south can now have shorter trips to Cordova or Mactan International Airport instead of having to endure the heavy city traffic, especially during rush hours.

In 2021, to commemorate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines, Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corp. (CCLEC), the builder of the historic CCLEX put eight illuminating crosses on its 145-meter tall twin pylons, four on each pylon.

The crosses are visible at any angle, especially at night. The crosses are said to have taken inspiration from Magellan’s Cross, a symbol for Cebu as the cradle of Christianity in the country.

The cables that support that bridge to its pylons were imported from France, and because of the pandemic, local engineers had to train to install these massive stay cables onto the bridge. It is safe to assume that this bridge is mostly built by Cebuano hands.

CCLEX Details:

• Design: Cable-stayed bridge
• Length: 8.9 Kilometers
• Main Span: 390 Meters long
• Twin Pylon Height: 145 Meters
• Navigational Clearance: 51 Meters
• Wideness: 27 Meters
• Design Speed: 60-80 Kilometers per hour
• Construction Cost: ₱33 billion
• Owner: Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway Corporation
• Engineering Design: SENER Ingenieria y Sistemas & Carlos Fernandez Casado (SENER-CFC JV)
• Construction: Cebu Link Joint Venture (Acciona-First Balfour-DMCI JV)

CCLEX Trivia:

• The bridge is longer than it should’ve been because it swayed away from the mangrove fields to help preserve nature.
• The cross’s design was inspired by the Magellan’s Cross.
• Miss Universe Philippines contestant Steffi Rose Aberasturi cat-walked, or should I say ‘sky-walked’ at the currently constructed bridge last August 2021.
• The toll facilities’ design is inspired by the eight-rayed sun of the philippine flag
• Since most Cordovahanons rely on fishing, in order to not damage the fisherman trade, CCLEC added small bridges called  Fishermans’ bridge to give way to fishermen.
• The cable-stayed bridge is expected to serve 50,000 vehicles daily.

CCLEX is a toll bridge expressway, it uses a barrier toll system, where motorists pay a fixed toll rate based on vehicle class.

CCLEX Toll Rates