A STUDY team of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) has recommended five bridges connecting Mactan Island and mainland Cebu, which will support future growth of the metropolis.
Of the five proposed structures, two got the highest acceptance rating: the bridge connecting Cordova and Cebu City with one foot on Shell Island, also known as Bridge D; and Bridge A, which would be on the other side of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge to support transfer of the Cebu Port Authority’s container port to Tayud, Consolacion.
Dr. Primitivo Cal, a consultant of the Jica study team, said the alternative bridges will be presented to the Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board (MCDCB), which is composed of 13 local government units.
Cal said the Jica study involves urban growth management up to 2050.
The study also compares the advantages or disadvantages of linear growth, an urban sprawl model, and dispersed growth, which supports the creation of urban centers up to Carcar City in the south and Danao City in the north.
Unsolicited
Cal said the Metro Pacific Tollways Corp., a subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., submitted an unsolicited proposal for Bridge D or the third bridge.
Bridge D is projected to cost P33.1 billion. The structure includes a 10-kilometer bridge approach from Barangay Pilipog, Cordova to Shell Island and a 710-meter bridge from Shell Island to Cebu City, near the mouth of Guadalupe River.
The Jica study noted that the approach of Bridge D will be built over a large mangrove area and will affect about 30 houses on the Mactan Circumferential Road (Tiangue Road).
Cal said Bridge A would handle the traffic of container trucks plying Mactan and mainland Cebu.
“Additional trailer traffic to Route A could be equivalent to one-fourth of container trailer traffic to be generated (if the) container terminal would be transferred to Tayud, Consolacion,” Jica report stated.
Cost
Bridge A would have six-lanes and would be 420-meters long. The bridge is projected to cost P12.8 billion with a proposed P3.2-billion rail system.
Bridges A and D got the highest acceptance in surveys conducted in the cities of Mandaue Lapu-Lapu and Cebu and in Cordova town.
Cal said the Jica study focuses on the connection between Mactan Island and mainland Cebu because of Cordova’s proposed reclamation project, Lapu-Lapu City’s north reclamation plan and the expansion of the Mactan Cebu International Airport.
The Jica study also identified a bridge between Bridge D and the old Mactan-Mandaue Bridge and another between the old structure and Marcelo Fernan Bridge.
The fifth proposed bridge would be the longest and most costly at P40 billion. The main bridge would be 1,220 meters and the approaches would reach 9,650 meters. It is envisioned to connect Cordova and farther south of mainland Cebu.
The Jica study also looked into mass rapid transit systems from Carcar to Danao.
Source: SunStar Cebu
