For the longest time in history, the San Juanico Bridge that links the islands of Samar and Leyte has held the title of the longest bridge in the Philippines. That was until the Cebu-Cordova Bridge was successfully linked in October 2021. The bridge will be opened and inaugurated on April 27, 2022.
How Long is the Cebu-Cordova Bridge?
For some perspective, the San Juanico Bridge has a length of 2.1 kilometers and has served as the longest bridge in the Philippines since 1973. On the other hand, the Cebu-Cordova bridge, also known as the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway or CCLEX, measures 8.9 kilometers long, significantly dwarfing the San Juanico Bridge.
Built to Withstand Extreme Natural Phenomena
The Cebu-Cordova Bridge was built by Cebu Link Joint Venture (CLJV), a consortium consisting of Spanish infrastructure firm Acciona, First Balfour, and DMCI.
The project, awarded in 2017 by the Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC), a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Tollways (MPTC), consists of the design and construction of a 650-meter cable-stayed bridge as the principal structure, with a main span of 390 meters between pylons, located over the entrance to the Port of Cebu. This new infrastructure includes several viaducts and a section of highway on a 5.2-kilometer embankment.
Construction began in July 2018, after the client's design approval, and lasted until September 2021, creating more than 2,500 direct and indirect jobs in the area.
Due to its construction's technical and logistical complexity, Acciona and the Joint venture partners carried out most of the work on a self-performing basis.
The bridge's deck was constructed using a special "Underslung form-Traveler," designed, and assembled using the latest technology, enabling complete sections of up to 7.15 meters long to be installed.
The foundations of the Cebu-Cordova Bridge, designed and constructed to withstand extreme natural phenomena such as earthquakes, typhoons, or tsunamis, are up to 60 meters deep and were built with concrete piles in the seabed and coordinated by Acciona.
More than 150,000 cubic meters of concrete, 31,000 tons of Grade-75 steel, and 965 tons of active steel for the cables and columns were used in its construction.
