THE local government units (LGUs) of Cebu City and Cordova are richer by P3.7 million each after they got their share from the toll revenues generated by the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) in its second year of operation.
The Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corp. (CCLEC) remitted the LGUs’ share on Tuesday morning, April 30, 2024.
Cebu City and the town of Cordova are the hosts of the toll bridge that connects mainland Cebu and Mactan Island.
Under the joint venture agreement (JVA) between CCLEC and the two LGUs, each LGU will receive a one percent share of the annual toll revenues from the third bridge.
The JVA also stipulates that the share of the two LGUs will be remitted to them annually, no later than April 30 of each year, throughout the 45-year concession period.
Cebu City Treasurer Mare Vae Reyes, in a text message to SunStar Cebu on Tuesday, said the amount will go to the City Government’s general fund account.
She said the revenue will be utilized to help the City implement the programs and projects outlined in the 2024 annual budget.
SunStar Cebu also tried to get Cordova Mayor Cesar “Didoy” Suan’s plan for the share but had yet to respond as of press time.
During CCLEX’s first year of operation, the two LGUs received P1.69 million each as their share of the toll revenues.
The P33-billion toll bridge opened to the public in April 2022.
CCLEC recorded 5.24 million vehicles using the 8.9-kilometer modern toll expressway in its second year of operation, marking a 45.5 percent increase compared to the 3.6 million vehicles recorded during its inaugural year.
CCLEC said the majority of the road users were Class 1 vehicles, particularly motorcycles with engine displacements of 400 cc and up, four-wheeled vehicles like pickups and small vans, and Class 1M vehicles or motorcycles with engine displacements of 110 cc to 399 cc.
CCLEC president and general manager Allan Alfon, during the press conference for CCLEX’s first anniversary in April 2023, said considering that the major users of the bridge are motorcycle drivers, CCLEC targets to meet the requirements of motorcycles “because these motorcycles are really the workers going to and from Cebu City and (Cordova) island.”
Alfon, in previous reports, said the CCLEX is expected to cater to around 50,000 vehicles daily, especially once the proposed Guadalupe ramp is completed.
The ramp is slated to be completed by 2026. / JJL