Marcelo Fernan Bridge

Marcelo Fernan Bridge
The bridge in 2012
Coordinates10°19′35.6″N 123°57′59.4″E / 10.326556°N 123.966500°E / 10.326556; 123.966500
Carries4 lanes of N841; pedestrian sidewalks
CrossesMactan Channel
LocaleMetro Cebu
Other name(s)Second Cebu-Mactan Bridge (locally known)
Consolacion Bridge (formerly)
Named forMarcelo Fernan
Maintained byDepartment of Public Works and Highways
Characteristics
DesignCable-stayed bridge
Total length1,230.2 m (4,036 ft)[1]
Longest span185 m (607 ft)
History
Construction start1996
Construction end1999
OpenedAugust 3, 1999[2]
Location
Map
Marcelo Fernan Bridge over the Mactan Channel, viewed from the Mactan–Mandaue Bridge.

The Marcelo Fernan Bridge, also known as the Second Cebu–Mactan Bridge and locally as the Second Bridge, is an extradosed cable-stayed bridge located in Metro Cebu in the Philippines. It crosses the Mactan Channel, connecting Mandaue in mainland Cebu to Lapu-Lapu City in Mactan Island. It is currently the second-longest cable-stayed bridge in the Philippines after the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway, which also crosses the Mactan Channel. Before it was named the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, it was called the Consolacion Bridge, owing to its proximity to the municipality of Consolacion, which is 1.6 miles (2.6 km) from its north end. It is one of three bridges crossing the Mactan Channel, the others being the Mactan–Mandaue Bridge (opened in 1973) and the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway (opened in 2022).

History

Marcelo Fernan Bridge was opened in August 1999 to decongest the traffic from the older Mactan–Mandaue Bridge, which opened in 1973. The bridge has a total length of 1,237 meters (4,058 ft) with a centre span of 185 meters (607 ft) and was inaugurated by Philippine President Joseph Estrada on August 3, 1999.[3] After its completion, the bridge had one of the widest and longest bridge spans in the Philippines. The bridge was constructed with the help of the Japanese government. It was named after Senator Marcelo Fernan, a political figure from Cebu City.

Additional information

On the Mactan Island side of the bridge, there is a park called the Millennium Park at the base of the bridge's piers, and the Filipino Seafarers Memorial is located in that park. Also, the bridge has two pedestrian walkways, one each on the north and south sides. On the Cebu Island side of the bridge, there is Mandaue, where the bridge can be accessed via United Nations Avenue. The Mactan side of the bridge, which is in Lapu-Lapu City, can be accessed via Old Patiller Road, a spur road of the Manuel L. Quezon National Highway.

The bridge also sits astride the northern end of the Mactan Channel, a gateway to the Cebu International Port managed by the Cebu Port Authority, where about 80% of domestic and international shipping operators and shipbuilders in the Philippines are located. The Mactan–Mandaue Bridge is about 1.6 km (0.99 mi) south of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge.

See also

References

  1. ^ "List of National Bridge with length, type and condition per District Engineering Office as of 27 December 2019 - Cebu 6th District". Department of Public Works and Highways. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Marcelo Fernan Bridge repair to start Monday". The Freeman. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  3. ^ "History of Lapulapu City". Recorded Events. The Lapu-lapu City Government Website. Archived from the original on 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2008-04-23.