Mactan Channel

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Mactan Channel
Mactan Channel, Looc (Mandaue, Cebu; 01-19-2024).jpg
The channel in Mandaue City
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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
Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, as seen from the South Road Properties CCLEX Bridge (Cebu City; 09-07-2022).jpg
Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway, as seen from the South Road Properties

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, the Marcelo Fernan Bridge in 1999, and then by the Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway in 2022.

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

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

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

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

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<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 upon its completion on October 5, 2021.

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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.

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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.