Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, Cordova Mayor Cesar “Didoy” Suan, and CCLEC President and General Manager Allan Alfon lead the ceremonial groundbreaking for the CCLEX-Guadalupe Ramp Project at Forbes Bridge, Magallanes St., Cebu City on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.| Wenilyn B. Sabalo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The vision of the Cebu City government for an extension of the Cebu Cordova Link Expressways (CCLEX) took a big step forward with the groundbreaking ceremony for the CCLEX-Guadalupe Ramp Project at Forbes Bridge, in Magallanes St., Cebu City on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.
The groundbreaking was led by top officials of the Cebu City government, the municipal government of Cordova, and the Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corp. (CCLEC).
The groundbreaking ceremony happened seven months after the management of the 8.9-kilometer CCLEX opened the bridge to the public in April 2022.
The CCLEX-Guadalupe Ramp is part of the original concession agreement for the construction of CCLEX.
The Cebu City government advocated for the inclusion of the Guadalupe Ramps in the CCLEX project years ago to support the city government’s Guadalupe River Development Program.
The Cebu City government’s Guadalupe River Development Program aims to clean up the Guadalupe River and its riverbanks and to maintain the river’s required three-meter easement.
The ramps project, which has a budget of about P2 to P3 billion, is also expected to increase the usability of the CCLEX by extending the routes that it caters to through various feeder roads in downtown Cebu City.
Meanwhile, Cordova Mayor Cesar “Didoy” Suan, who also attended the groundbreaking ceremony, said the ramp project will be a huge help to their town.
“I am pretty sure nga mas mudaghan pa ang mobisita sa among lungsod and it will bring more businesses pa sa among lungsod,” he said.
CCLEX-Guadalupe Ramps specifics
CCLEC President and General Manager Allan Alfon told reporters that they are still in the planning stage with the Cebu City Planning and Development Office regarding the exact alignment of the ramp.
“Dili pa ta makaingon og pila ni ka kilometro kay nagsige pa man ta og meeting sa city planning no para sa alignment kung asa g’yod nato pa tugpahon,” he said.
“Ang ato man gud ana is careful ta para dili kaayo ta makaapekto sa atong mga silingan nga informal settlers kay og di na ma-plastar og tarong, basin malangan hinoon ta sa atong proyekto. Mao nay ginaplastar nato with the city hall,” he added.
The ramp, he said, will have two lanes on each side, just like the CCLEX, and will pass through the banks of the Guadalupe River.
Alfon said construction works would start as soon as all the needed preparations, such as the acquisition of the Road Right of Way (RROW), are made.
“For the budget ang atong gitan-aw is P2 and P3 billion. Kung i-compare nimo sa atong budget dinhi sa CCLEX niabot man ni og mga P33 bilyones, so roughly mga three percent siguro ana ang para sa atong rampa,” he said.
Once started, the construction works will take about 18 months before completion.
Alfon said that based on their concession agreement, the Cebu City government, as their grantor, will be the one to provide relocation sites for structure owners who will be affected by the project.
‘Nobody will be left behind’
While the initiative of the project is seen to displace families who are living within the three-meter easement of the Guadalupe River, the mayor assured that they will be provided with relocation, through the medium-rise buildings that the city is aiming to build with the cooperation of the real estate developers in the city.
“Right now, I am not seeing yet the numbers (of affected households), but naa na na because Gerry Carillo will definitely be involved kay mao man na iyang focus on the three-meter easement and tagging has already been done before and this is really a part of the whole three-meter easement. 20,000 (households) man tingali to from the seven rivers, including the creeks and the alleys,” he told reporters. /rcg
ALSO READ:
Rama disapproves groundbreaking of Carbon Market modernization
3 rescued from under Forbes Bridge in Brgy Pasil