Based on the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (Team) data gathered from January to November 2022, around 19,454 vehicle trips proceeding to Mandaue City on a 24-hour basis on weekdays were recorded that had passed both bridges.
The number is relatively lower than the figures in 2018, before CCLEX was completed, having 67,085 vehicle trips per weekday.
Matter of fees
In an interview with SunStar Cebu on May 18, 2023, Mario Napuli, officer-in-charge of the Lapu-Lapu City Traffic Management System (CTMS), said despite the expressway’s presence, many citizens in Lapu-Lapu still choose to cross the Mactan-Mandaue and Marcelo-Fernan bridges because not all private car owners can afford its “expensive” toll fees.
The toll fee at the CCLEX starts at P90 for Class One vehicles such as motorcycles and sedans; P180 for Class Two or vehicles above seven feet in height, light trucks and buses; and P270 for Class Three vehicles such as trailer and multi-axle trucks.
Arnold Malig-on, head of the Operations Division of Team, said Thursday, May 11, that CCLEX plays a significant role in decongesting traffic, but vehicles still prefer to save on the toll fees.
Occasional purposes
In an interview with SunStar Cebu on May 12, several motorists admitted they pass CCLEX only whenever they have important appointments.
Motorist Dong Mar, 43, (not his real name) from Lapu-Lapu City said he only passed CCLEX thrice and preferred to cross the first bridge because it is more accessible to his workplace.
He also emphasized the expressway’s toll fee is an additional cost to his daily gas expense which runs around P300 to P500 per day.
Kit Raguine, 27, also from Lapu-Lapu City, said he only felt a little improvement in the traffic flow along the crossings of the first and second bridges since CCLEX opened.
He personally does not pass through CCLEX to save cost.
Similarly, car owner Lyn Griño, 32, from Barangay Casuntingan in Mandaue City said she only passes through CCLEX whenever she has urgent business matters to attend to.
Positive impact
Excluding the fees, Malig-on said CCLEX’s most significant impact is giving people an alternative route to use to and from Mactan. He also noted that the movement of goods in terms of travel time is improved.
For its part, CCLEX said last April 28 that around 3.6 million vehicles had passed the expressway since it opened in April 2022.
Allan Alfon, president and general manager of the CCLEX, said traffic in the expressway is increasing month to month from 6,000 average daily traffic on its opening week to double now at more than 12,500 daily.
In its statement, CCLEX also pointed out how it contributed to the revival of tourism and the economy of Cebu after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Acording to Travel iExplore Tours & Services managing partner Juliet Amazona, the expressway became a gateway to Cebu’s major tourism spots to the south.
“CCLEX has a really huge positive impact, especially for our guests who came to Cebu to go, among others, whale shark watching in Oslob, canyoneering in Badian, or trekking the Osmeña Peak in Dalaguete,” she said.
