Naming new bridge after Sto. Nino pushed

CEBU CITY – Presidential Adviser on Legislative Affairs Secretary Adelino Sitoy said he will suggest that the third bridge linking mainland Cebu to Mactan Island be named “Sto. Niño Bridge.”

Sitoy made the proposal to honor the Holy Child of Cebu whose image was given by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan in 1521.

The Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC) awarded the P22.6 billion contract to Cebu Link Joint Venture (CLJV) last November 23.

CLJV is a construction and engineering consortium composed of Spain-based Acciona Construccion S. A.; Philippinebased First Balfour Inc.; and D. M. Consunji Inc.

The contract was formally awarded on Thursday at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel.

Construction is scheduled to start by the second quarter next year and is projected to be completed in 2021.

Building the bridge is expected to generate 5,000 jobs. Sitoy was Cordova mayor when the project was sealed.

The 8.5-kilometer structure will have two lanes in each direction. It will have the main navigation span bridge, viaduct approach bridges, a causeway, roadway and toll facilities.

The bridge will allow for shipping traffic and the link is expected to serve at least 40,000 vehicles daily.

It will give Cordova town direct access to Cebu City and is envisioned to decongest the traffic in the two existing bridges between Mactan and Cebu.

A toll bridge facility will be built under a private-public partnership (PPP) scheme with Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corporation (MPTDC). (Kier Edison C. Belleza)