Mactan Channel

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Mactan Channel
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Mactan Channel
Location within the Philippines
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Mactan Channel
Mactan Channel (Philippines)
Location Central Visayas, Philippines
Coordinates 10°18′45″N123°56′22″E / 10.31250°N 123.93944°E / 10.31250; 123.93944
Type Channel

The Mactan Channel, also known as Opon Channel, is a channel in Cebu, Philippines. It runs between mainland Cebu island and the smaller island of Mactan. The body of water is located within Metro Cebu, separating the localities of Mandaue and Cebu City in mainland Cebu and Lapu-Lapu City on Mactan. It is one of the three channels that connect the Cebu Strait to the Camotes Sea — the other two being the Hilutangan Channel and the Olango Channel.

Contents

Overview

Mactan Channel is an important passageway for ships docking on the Port of Cebu. Ferries from Cebu bound for other islands, such as Samar, Leyte, Bohol, Negros, Mindanao, and also for the ports of Manila, Cagayan de Oro, and Butuan operate from the Port of Cebu and extensively use this channel. Various ferry companies operate out of this channel, some of which include: Weesam Express (SRN Fast Seacrafts, Inc.), 2GO Travel, OceanJet FastCraft, SuperFerry (Abotitz Shipping Company), Cokaliong Shipping Lines, & Sulpicio Lines. There are also various other small local ferry lines (Catamaran) that operate and go to the various small islands of the Camotes Sea as well.

Infrastructure

The Port of Cebu is located along the shores of Mactan Channel, on Cebu City. Mactan–Cebu International Airport is on the north side of Mactan, near the north end of the channel. There are three bridges that cross the channel: the Mactan–Mandaue Bridge, and the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, both of which connect Mandaue on the Cebu mainland and Lapu-Lapu City on Mactan Island. A third bridge, the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), connects Cordova in Mactan Island to Cebu City on the Cebu mainland.

Commercial establishments have started to sprout along the shores of the channel. The South Road Properties in Cebu City is a 300 hectares (740 acres) development reclaimed from Mactan Channel. It is home to several mixed-use developments, including SM Seaside, City di Mare, and South Coast City. The North Reclamation Area of Cebu City and Mandaue, also reclaimed from the channel, is also home to several businesses and developments, including SM City Cebu, Robinsons Galleria Cebu, and Mandani Bay, among other establishments. There are also various hotels on either side of the channel, many of which command a sea view of the channel, such as Nustar Resort & Casino.

Marcelo Fernan Bridge, as seen from Mactan Island) Marcelo Fernan Bridge.jpg
Marcelo Fernan Bridge, as seen from Mactan Island)
Mactan-Mandaue Bridge, as seen from Mactan Island Mactan-Mandaue Bridge.jpg
Mactan–Mandaue Bridge, as seen from Mactan Island

History

The Port of Cebu — the second largest port in the country — is located along Mactan Channel and has been used since the Spanish Colonial Period. It was organized as a Channel in Cebu on March 1, 1958. The channel was first spanned by the Mactan–Mandaue Bridge in 1971 and then by the Marcelo Fernan Bridge in 1999.

Since the 2000s, the channel has suffered from pollution, exacerbated due to its position off of Metro Cebu, a large metropolitan area. It is claimed that the waters of Mactan Channel have "become so polluted that eating marine life caught from its waters can cause illnesses in humans and may even contribute to long-term diseases like cancer". The sources from the pollution have been identified from the various rivers in Metro Cebu which empty into the channel, as well as residents and industries along the coast dumping their wastes directly into the channel. [1] The pollution has also caused siltation, which has caused the channel to get shallower, with studies claiming the channel, at its shallowest parts, is only 8 metres (26 feet) deep, barely enough for ships navigating the waterway which must at least also have a draft of the same depth. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cebu</span> Province in Central Visayas, Philippines

Cebu, officially the Province of Cebu, is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas (Region VII) region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. Its capital and largest city is Cebu City, nicknamed "the Queen City of the South", the oldest city and first capital of the Philippines, which is politically independent from the provincial government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cebu Strait</span> Strait in Central Visayas, Philippines

Cebu Strait is a strait in the Central Visayas region in the Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lapu-Lapu City</span> Highly urbanized city in Cebu, Philippines

Lapu-Lapu City, officially the City of Lapu-Lapu, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 497,604.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mandaue</span> Highly urbanized city in Cebu, Philippines

Mandaue, officially the City of Mandaue, is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 364,116 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mactan</span> Island in the Cebu,Philippines

Mactan is a densely populated island located a few kilometers east of Cebu Island in the Philippines. The island is part of Cebu province and it is divided into the city of Lapu-Lapu and the municipality of Cordova. The island is separated from Cebu by the Mactan Channel which is presently crossed by three bridges: the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), the Mactan–Mandaue Bridge, and the Marcelo Fernan Bridge. The island covers some 65 square kilometres (25 sq mi) and has a population of 527,071 as of 2020, making it the nation's most densely populated island. Along with Olango Island Group, the isles are administered by a city and a municipality covering 75.25 square kilometres (29.05 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cordova, Cebu</span> Municipality in Cebu, Philippines

Cordova, officially the Municipality of Cordova, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Cebu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 70,595 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcelo Fernan</span> Chief Justice of the Philippines from 1988 to 1991

Marcelo "Celing" Briones Fernan was a Filipino lawyer and political figure. He is the only Filipino to have served as both Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and as Senate President. He is also the third Filipino to have headed both the judicial and legislative branches of government, after Querube Makalintal who served as Chief Justice and Speaker of the Batasang Pambansa in the 1970s, and José Yulo, who served as Chief Justice and Speaker of the House of Representatives before 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcelo Fernan Bridge</span> Bridge in Metro Cebu

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

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Cebu</span> Metropolitan area of the Philippines

Metropolitan Cebu, or simply Metro Cebu,, is the main urban center of the province of Cebu in the Philippines. Metro Cebu is located along the central eastern portion of the island including the nearby island of Mactan. It accounts for 19.9 percent of the land area and 61.5 percent of the population of the entire province of Cebu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camotes Sea</span> Small sea in the Philippine archipelago, bordered by the islands Leyte, Bohol and Cebu

The Camotes Sea is a small sea within the Philippine archipelago, situated between the Central Visayan and the Eastern Visayan regions. It separates Cebu from Leyte hence is bordered by Cebu to the west, Leyte to the east and north, and Bohol to the south. At its center are the Camotes Islands, but it also contains Mactan Island, Olango Island, Lapinig Island, and various other small islets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olango Island Group</span>

The Olango Island Group is a group of islands found in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. It comprises Olango island and 6 satellite islets namely: Caubian, Camungi, Caohagan, Gilutongan, Nalusuan, Pangan-an, and Sulpa. The island group has a total land area of approximately 1,030 hectares. It is divided under the jurisdiction of the city of Lapu-Lapu and the municipality of Cordova, Cebu. It lies 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) east of Mactan and is a major tourist destination in Cebu. It is known for its wildlife sanctuary. The entire area is the first declared Ramsar Wetland Site in the Philippines, as recognized in 1994.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mactan–Mandaue Bridge</span> Bridge in Metro Cebu

The Mactan–Mandaue Bridge, officially known as Serging Veloso Osmeña Jr. Bridge, also known as the First Cebu–Mactan Bridge and First Bridge locally, is a truss bridge that crosses the Mactan Channel and connects the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu City in Metro Cebu, Philippines. It is one of three bridges that span across the Mactan Channel, the other being the Marcelo Fernan Bridge and the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway, and connects the islands of Cebu and Mactan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Visayas</span> Administrative region of the Philippines

Central Visayas is an administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VII. It consists of four provinces: and three highly urbanized cities: Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu, and Mandaue).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Road Properties</span> Central Business District in Central Visayas, Philippines

The South Road Properties (SRP), also known as the South Reclamation Project, is a 300 ha reclamation area in Cebu City, Philippines. The area, which is reclaimed from Mactan Channel, is located off the coast of the southern district of Cebu City, near Barangays Mambaling, Inayawan, and Pasil. It spans from the shore of mainland Cebu to Kawit Point. An island-type reclaimed area, it is connected with mainland Cebu by the Cebu South Coastal Road and the Mambaling Access Road. Through the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway, the SRP is also connected by land to Cordova and the island of Mactan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway</span> Longest bridge in the Philippines, connecting Cebu City and Cordova, Cebu

The Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), also known as the Cebu–Cordova Bridge and the Third Cebu–Mactan Bridge, is an 8.9-kilometer (5.5 mi) toll bridge expressway in Metro Cebu, Philippines. The bridge connects the South Road Properties in Cebu City in mainland Cebu, and Cordova, on Mactan island. Crossing the Mactan Channel, it is the third road link between Cebu and Mactan islands, and the first between Cebu City and Cordova. It is the longest sea-crossing bridge in the Philippines, surpassing the 2-kilometer (1.2 mi) San Juanico Bridge between Samar and Leyte, as well as Marcelo Fernan Bridge as the longest cable-stayed bridge in the Philippines. It also surpassed the 5-kilometer (3.1 mi) Candaba Viaduct of North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) connecting the provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan for being the longest bridge in the Philippines overall upon its inauguration on April 27, 2022.

The Cebu Monorail Transit System, simply known as the Cebu Monorail, is a proposed monorail rapid transit system to be built in Metro Cebu, Philippines. Originally proposed by the Japanese in 2015 as the Cebu MRT System, it was revised to a light rail line in the late 2010s, dubbed the Cebu Light Rail Transit System or Cebu LRT. It was then again revised to its present form in late 2019.

Transportation within Cebu City is mainly land-based with most parts of the city accessible by road. There is no existing mass transit but construction is currently being undertaken on the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit System as well as an existing proposal for a Cebu Monorail, both of which will be crucial in solving the city's worsening traffic congestion, as existing transportation modes will soon become insufficient to move residents around the city if the local government fails to urgently implement infrastructure projects and measures to address the issue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N841 highway</span> Secondary route in the Philippines

National Route 841 (N841) is a 5-kilometer (3.1 mi), two-to-four lane national secondary route that forms part of the Philippine highway network, connecting the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue. It is carried by the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, constructed in 1996 and opened in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N82 highway</span> Road in the Philippines

National Route 82 (N82) is a 5 km (3.1 mi) minor primary route connecting the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue. It is the second shortest primary route, the first being the N61 highway in Metro Manila. The route consists of A.C. Cortes Avenue, the Mactan-Mandaue Bridge, Maximo V. Patalinjug, Jr. Avenue and the Basak–Marigondon Road. It is iconic for being the first highway to link Cebu and Mactan Island, the next two being N841 and Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway.

Cebu–Mactan Bridge may refer to any of the three bridges that connect Cebu and Mactan islands, both located in Visayas, Philippines:

References

  1. "Mactan Channel heavily polluted, says research group". The Philippine Star . October 17, 2002. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  2. "Mactan Channel getting shallow". The Philippine Star . February 26, 2003. Retrieved January 7, 2023.