THE Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) underwent several design studies, including a vessel collision analysis, to ensure that it is "safe and structurally stable" considering it is above the busy Mactan Channel.
This was the assurance of the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway Corp. (CCLEC) to the public following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in the United States after it was rammed by a cargo ship on Tuesday, March 26, 2024.
CCLEC, in a statement sent to SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, March 27, said the design of CCLEX significantly considered vessel collision considering its main span crosses the busy waterway in Cebu.
"CCLEX's main bridge has a maximum ship collision capacity of 110 meganewtons (or equivalent to an 80,000-deadweight tonnage bulk cargo ship colliding onto the pile cap when traveling at 7.5 knots)," said the CCLEC.
CCLEC also noted that the height of the main bridge from the sea is 52.50 meters with a width of 260 meters which allows large vessels to pass safely and securely underneath.
The bridge, according to CCLEC, is also equipped with Bridge Management and Monitoring System (BMMS), which is used to measure and monitor the main bridge's structure conditions via different sensors including a road weather information system which is used to measure and monitor road weather conditions such as temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, visibility, and atmospheric pressure, stay cable accelerometers which detects fatigue loads, vibrational modes, and natural frequencies, among others, GPS position sensors which detects displacement between the ends of the main bridge deck, and the expansion joint displacement sensors which are used to measure the accurate position of the relevant components of the main bridge such as the tops of the pylons.
The third bridge, being located above the busy Mactan Channel, was also installed with marine signals on the sides of the main bridge deck to serve as a navigational aid for ships going in and out of Cebu’s ports. (JJL)