MPTC’s first all-electronic toll collection system kicks off online registration
The Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway main bridge is finally connected. With that announcement by Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) chairman Manuel “Manny” V. Pangilinan, the builders of the CCLEX marked a major milestone — the main bridge deck connection.
MPTC and the Cebu Cordova Link Expressway Corporation (CCLEC) also announced that people can now register online for the installation of the RFID stickers that they will need in order to use the CCLEX, the first toll expressway in this part of the country. The CCLEX will be using an all-electronic toll collection system for convenient and seamless travel.
Metro Pacific Tollways Corporation (MPTC) chairman Manuel “Manny” V. Pangilinan.
Historic event
Pangilinan was in Cebu on October 29 to attend ceremonies to mark the main bridge deck connection. The central span of the cable-stayed bridge was joined on October 5, 2021, finally linking Cebu City and the Municipality of Cordova.
Pangilinan was joined during the historic event by Metro Pacific Investments Corporation President Jose Maria K. Lim, MPTC President Rodrigo E. Franco, CCLEC President Allan G. Alfon and other company executives. Also present were key Cebu leaders including Cebu City Acting Mayor Michael Rama and Cordova Mayor Mary Therese Sitoy-Cho, who represented the grantor local government units. Other officials who attended the event included Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes, Ambassador of Spain Jorge Moragas Sanchez, and Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Felix Taguiam.
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia was the keynote speaker in ceremonies held on the now-connected CCLEX main bridge deck spanning over Mactan Channel.
The P30-billion CCLEX is being implemented by CCLEC in partnership with the local government units of Cebu City and Municipality of Cordova. The CCLEX is the longest and tallest bridge in the Philippines, spanning 8.9 kilometers. As of September 2021, construction progress of the CCLEX was at 86%.
Pangilinan said the CCLEX will be an enabler of the region’s economic recovery. It will open the region to business opportunities and boost Cebu’s reputation as a global tourist destination.
All-electronic toll collection system
In preparation for its opening in the first quarter of 2022, the CCLEC launched on October 29 an online appointment system for the installation of CCLEX’s radio frequency identification (RFID) stickers for vehicles. Aside from blazing the trail in modernizing Cebu’s infrastructure and transportation, the CCLEC, through its RFID system, is keeping road users’ safety at the forefront as it adopts an all-electronic toll collection system.
“We are happy to bring to Cebuanos this contactless and cashless payment through RFID when using our expressway as part of our vision to modernize the country’s transport sector and as part of our commitment to nation-building,” said Pangilinan.
Franco said the introduction of RFID in Cebu is part of the tollways group’s expansion of its cashless system, driven by the evolving changes in the industry and the expansive use of digital technologies.
Alfon, for his part, said it will add value to the road users’ experience of CCLEX while ensuring their convenience and safety, amid a pandemic, when they go in and out of the expressway.
CCLEX’s toll plaza is on the Cordova side and will have eight toll lanes—four lanes in each direction.
How to get your RFID stickers
To be among the first to use CCLEX, one can register for their RFID through the Online RFID Registration and Appointment System (ORRAS) at http://cclex.com.ph where they can pick a schedule and installation site. On their chosen schedule, vehicle owners will have to present their QR codes at the installation site. The RFID sticker will be installed on the vehicle by a CCLEX RFID installer.
Once opened to motorists, CCLEX is seen to decongest traffic and make traveling more convenient. It is also projected to spur business activities and open greater economic opportunities for Cebu and the rest of the Visayas region.
CCLEX is the third link to Mactan Island from Cordova to mainland Cebu through Cebu City’s South Road Properties. It has a design speed of 80 kilometers per hour (kph) and is built with a navigational clearance or height of 51 meters to allow large vessels to pass safely underneath the bridge.
CCLEC, the builder and operator of the toll expressway, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MPTC, the toll road arm of the MPIC, which is a publicly listed infrastructure holding company and a member of the MVP Group of Companies.
MPTC is the largest toll road concessionaire and operator in the Philippines, whose expansion goals include establishing toll operations in the Visayas, other parts of the Philippines, and in neighboring countries notably Vietnam, and Indonesia.
More photos of the event
