Proponents discuss 3rd Mactan bridge access

THE private proponent of the Cebu-Cordova Bridge project is willing to initially work on just one access into the bridge from the Cebu City side.

According to representatives of the Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corp. (MPTDC), this will spare the Cebu City government the task of acquiring more than a hundred different lots for road right of way for the project’s second access point.

“The emerging consensus is that we can, in the meantime, proceed with the project just using the original alignment ending as far as Cebu City is concerned at the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR),” said MPTDC legal consultant Aristotle Batuhan in an executive session with the Cebu City Council last week.

“After, if and when the city is ready with the right of way towards the Guadalupe River, then we add such access to the project,” Batuhan added.

Batuhan explained that in the original proposal which they submitted in 2014, they only had the CSCR as the access point from Cebu City; but at the course of negotiations with the administration of former mayor Michael Rama, it was agreed that another access point would be along Guadalupe River.

According to MPTDC consultant, Engr. Dante Bautista of Parsons Brinckerhoff, a parcellary survey showed that a total of 147 lots would be affected if plans to access the bridge project through the mouth of the Guadalupe River push through. Of the number, 75 are private lots, 55 are publicly owned, and 17 have yet to be identified.

These lots with a total area of 1.77 hectares would cover the construction of two ramps along the Guadalupe River access – the “on ramp” (790 meters ) and the “off ramp” (1.06 km.)
“The substructure of these ramps will be spaced between 40 to 60 meters so what we can see are series of columns planted,” Bautista explained to the council.

“But for the sake of road right of way acquisition, we are showing that any airspace projecting downward by this structure are considered to be within the road right of way,” Bautista added.

The “on ramp” will start at C. Padilla St. while the “off ramp” will end in Sanciangko St.

Under a Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) signed by MPTDC and the Cebu City Government early this year, the city government will be responsible for the acquisition of the road right of way for lots affected by the project.

MPTDC will construct the bridge at no cost to the both Cebu City and Cordova town.

The estimated cost of the project is between P27.9 to P28 billion.

Cost saving

According to MPTDC vice president for business development Francis Rojas, without the construction of the Guadalupe River access, they will be able to save on the project’s cost which will, in turn, result to a lowering of the proposed toll fees for the bridge.

“The construction cost of the Guadalupe ramp, based on current estimate, is about P1.5 to P2 billion. If including the ancillary and financing cost, it will be about P3 to P3.5 billion,” he told the council.

At their current estimate, Rojas said the suggested toll fee was P70 based on 2015 prices and P89 by the year 2021 which is when the bridge will be expected to open.

“Without the Guadalupe ramps, we’re looking at P60 to P65 in 2015 which will amount to P75 to P82 in 2021,” he said.

For her part, Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera explained that the addition of the Guadalupe access will benefit motorists coming from the north since the CSCR access will be used mostly by those coming from the south.

Batuhan also explained that it would be difficult to completely remove the Guadalupe River access since it was part of the final design approved by MPTDC and the local government units (LGUs) of Cebu City and Cordova.

Instead, Batuhan suggested that construction of the bridge’ access be done in phases – first the CSCR access and just push back the construction of the Guadalupe ramps pending issues on road right of way acquisition.

This would also ensure that the project won’t suffer any delays, added Rojas.

“The inclination is to defer the construction of Guadalupe Access until the time Cebu City is ready to provide the right of way. With that, we think we can advance the construction start to maybe middle of next year,” Rojas said.

The MPTDC has already secured the project’s approval from the Cebu Ports Authority, Philippine Coast Guard, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, and the Department of Public Works and Highways; while the approval of the Toll Regulatory Board, Philippine Reclamation Authority, and an Environmental Compliance Certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources had yet to be given.