Hasten P4.2 billion Interchange

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival has urged the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) Bridge Management Board to fast-track the proposed P4.2-billion CCLEX–Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) Interchange, citing the need to ease worsening traffic congestion at the South Road Properties (SRP), particularly with the opening of the SM Arena and other commercial developments.

The mayor made the appeal during the board's second regular meeting over the weekend at the CCLEX office in Cordova. The meeting was presided over by CCLEX President and General Manager Engr. Allan Alfon and attended by Archival and Cordova Mayor Cesar Suan.

The proposed interchange dominated discussions, with board members recognizing it as a key infrastructure project to address major traffic bottlenecks in the SRP.

The project will provide direct entry and exit ramps linking CCLEX and the CSCR, allowing motorists traveling from Mactan and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport to access Metro Cebu without passing through the congested SRP and SM complex.

It will also create a direct connection from Guadalupe and other parts of Cebu City to CCLEX, eliminating the current eight-kilometer detour.

In his recent State of the City Address, Archival described the inconvenience motorists currently experience.

“If you are coming from CCLEX, musaka ka sa CCLEX and if you are from Guadalupe… gikan ka sa airport, munaog ka sa Cordova, you pass by CCLEX, then if you want to go to Guadalupe, pag naug nimo sa CCLEX mu traverse pa ka padulong sa Talisay going back, mupadong ka diri padong sa bridge, mutuyok then muagi ka sa SM going there. So it’s about eight kilometer unya kon daghang sakyanan ana, traffic kayo,” he said earlier.

Archival recalled that CCLEX had previously proposed constructing a ramp connecting to Pasil and V. Rama Avenue during the administration of former mayor Michael Rama, but the alignment would have displaced an estimated 400 to 500 families.

“So I wrote a letter to CCLEX if they could find another route. They were saying, yes, we can find another route, we are funding it… the fund will be something like ?4.2 billion,” Archival said.

He explained that the revised design would provide a more direct route between the airport and upland areas of Cebu City.

“They call it an exchange… if you are coming from the airport via CCLEX, if you are going to Guadalupe, di na ka muadto sa SM, musaka na ka sa exchange, munaog ka sa dinhi viaduct going to Guadalupe. And if you are coming from Guadalupe or any part of the city, musud ka sa viaduct going to the exchange then going to the CCLEX and then going to the airport.”

According to CCLEX officials, construction of the interchange is scheduled to begin next year, with completion targeted by December 2028.

“Hopefully by that time, we will have lesser traffic sa atong SRP,” he said.

With the board aligning its priorities with the city's request, the proposed CSCR interchange has moved closer to implementation.

Once completed, the project is expected to improve traffic flow in the SRP, enhance connectivity between Cebu City, Mactan and the airport, and strengthen CCLEX's role as a major transport corridor for Metro Cebu. (CEBU NEWS)