CLOSE to 1,000 workers will be hired to build the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX).

Majority of the workers will be sourced from Cebu, especially those from the town of Cordova and Cebu City, as well as in the neighboring provinces in the Visayas, said Cebu Link Joint Venture (CLJV) authorized representative Ruben Camba.

“We are looking to hire 800 to 1,000 workers,” said the CLJV official, saying this also includes expats and workers from Luzon.

CLJV is a consortium of Spanish firm Acciona Construccion SA, Lopez-led First Balfour Inc., and DM Consunji Inc., which was awarded the design and build contract for CCLEX yesterday at the Cebu City Waterfront Hotel and Casino.

Construction of the 8.5-kilometer toll bridge will start by the second quarter of 2018 and is up for completion in 2021. Along the process, the Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corp. (CCLEC) is also expected to hire engineers and staff for the management and operation of the toll bridge.

Thousands of indirect jobs are also expected in the construction of the CCLEX, said Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. president and chief executive officer (CEO) Rodrigo E. Franco.

“Apart from direct workers, there will be indirect workers that would be hired by supporting businesses like the suplliers, subcontractors, and all the other parties that will be involved both in the construction and in the operation and maintenance,” said Franco.

Aside from jobs, the CCLEX, which provides an alternative link between Mactan Island and Metro Cebu, is seen to spur economic growth and boost investments, not just in Cebu City and Cordova, but the entire province.

The P22.6-billion expressway, once finished, will provide fast and convenient travel for motorists, as it will significantly reduce the distance between Cordova and Cebu City to 8.5 kilometers from 20.7 kilometers.

The CCLEX, the first of MPTC’s toll road expansion in Southern Philippines, will have two lanes on each direction and will feature the main twin cable-stayed bridge structure, viaduct, and causeway.

Toll fee will be P89 for Class 1 vehicles (cars), double of the amount for buses (P178), and triple for trucks (P267).

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/409959/New-bridge-project-to-employ-1000