One of the more exciting news items over the weekend was about the construction start of the planned Lapu-Lapu Expressway, or what we call simply as LLEX. It is designed to connect the existing Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX) to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA). In previous write-ups, I pointed out that this is a common feature among the world’s major cities --there is always a fast expressway from the central city to its airport serving its metropolis. After all, air travel is the fastest way to move, it would be ridiculous if it would take longer to get there than your actual flight time.
An expressway is a road that is specially designed so that a lot of traffic can move along it very quickly and the easiest way to do this is simply to eliminate intersections. This is the crux of the recent discussions with regards to the Cebu South Coastal Road at the South Road Properties in Cebu City. This was also designed as an expressway, but certain sectors want to convert it into an ordinary highway by inserting intersections along its length. Try inserting those at the CCLEX and the number of air passengers who will miss their flights will shoot up! Expressways are designed to be uninterrupted and continuous.
This is not a new idea for Cebu, by the way. As far back as 35 years ago, the possible links to Mactan Island from Cebu City were already sketched. In reality, there’s not that many choices actually --maybe only up to four, two of which were the lines of the present Mandaue-Mactan bridges, and the third is where CCLEX is. The fourth line runs from the Cebu Port crossing directly to the Calawisan-Canjulao area in Lapu-Lapu City, connecting to the Mactan Circumferential Road, and turning left towards the airport. That still remains a possibility in the future.
But as for the third link, which is CCLEX, that is still unfinished business. If you look at it from the map, it is actually rather circuitous, as it could have connected directly to Calawisan, too, proceed to Babag, Lapu-Lapu, and link directly to the airport. There would still have been a need for a Lapu-Lapu Expressway link, but it would have been aligned with the existing Mactan Circumferential Road and passing through the city itself. CCLEX was not ideal, but it has its own good benefits, especially for Cordova. Traffic-wise, the direct connection to the airport would have been better, but the present CCLEX provided an impetus to propel Cordova’s development!
And because it passed through there, it will link Cordova directly to the airport, too, through the proposed LLEX. It may have taken more than three decades from a sketch on a piece of paper to reality but that’s how progress works. LLEX would be the last link, the best boon to Lapu-Lapu City and Cordova in recent years. I really think the next focus of global development in Cebu will shift to Mactan in the next decade. It must be exciting times for its residents, and especially their officials. We will soon have a great, fast, and easy expressway from the airport to Cebu City.