Osmeña Bridge, the Old Mactan Bridge: Who It Is Named After and Where It Stands Now
The Osmeña Bridge is the old Mactan bridge: the first crossing between Cebu and Mactan, a two-lane steel truss about 854 meters long, opened on 4 July 1973 between Looc in Mandaue and Pajo in Lapu-Lapu. It is named for Sergio “Serging” Osmeña Jr., not for his father the President. Fifty years on it is one of four crossings, past its prime, repaired several times since 2022, and still carrying a large share of the traffic to the airport island.
Serging Veloso Osmeña Jr. Bridge · Looc, Mandaue City to Pajo, Lapu-Lapu City · Checked 28 October 2026
Mactan Channel · 4 crossings
Four ways across the channel
Tap a bridge.
1973, two lanes
The old bridge
The first Cebu-Mactan bridge: a steel truss about 854 m long, opened on 4 July 1973, from A.C. Cortes Avenue in Looc, Mandaue to Pajo, Lapu-Lapu. Two lanes and a walkway on the south side.
Serging, not Don Sergio
The name
It is named for Sergio “Serging” Veloso Osmeña Jr., governor, Cebu City mayor and senator, who pushed for the bridge. The bridge management board approved the name in 2013 and RA 11828 made it law in June 2022.
1999, 1.6 km north
Marcelo Fernan
The second bridge, a cable-stayed span about 1.2 km long, opened on 3 August 1999 about 1.6 km north of the old bridge. Night repairs on it in 2025 pushed traffic back onto the first.
2022, the expressway
CCLEX
The Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, 8.9 km from the South Road Properties to Cordova, opened to motorists on 30 April 2022. It is tolled; Class 1 was ₱107.
Paknaan to Ibo, planned
The fourth
A 3.3 km, four-lane bridge from Paknaan, Mandaue to Ibo, Lapu-Lapu, costed at ₱76.4 billion with JICA funding. Construction was targeted for 2026; no start had been confirmed as of August 2026.
Checked October 28, 2026.
Who the Osmeña Bridge is named after
Sergio Veloso Osmeña Jr., known as Serging, was governor of Cebu, mayor of Cebu City and a senator, and he championed the bridge. In April 2013 the Mactan Cebu Bridge Management Board approved naming it after him. Republic Act 11828, which lapsed into law on 2 June 2022, made the name official: the Serging Veloso Osmeña Jr. Bridge. It is often wrongly credited to his father, President Sergio Osmeña Sr., including in some recent news coverage.
Osmeña Bridge facts
| Official name | Serging Veloso Osmeña Jr. Bridge (RA 11828, 2022) |
| Also called | First Cebu-Mactan Bridge, Mactan-Mandaue Bridge, the old bridge |
| Type | Steel truss |
| Length | About 854 m; some sources give 860 or 864 m |
| Width | About 9 m, two lanes plus a south-side walkway |
| Built | 1970 to 1973; opened 4 July 1973 |
| Ends | A.C. Cortes Avenue, Looc, Mandaue to Mandaue-Mactan Road, Pajo, Lapu-Lapu |
Repairs and condition since 2015
A 2015 JICA study called the bridge dilapidated, and in 2019 the regional development council asked for urgent work and a load limit. From August 2022 to June 2023, JICA-funded inspection and DPWH-funded emergency rehabilitation found and repaired a critical crack in a main steel member. In October 2024 a ₱38.5 million resurfacing ran at night, from 10 PM to 4 AM, with stop-and-go traffic, and repainted sections damaged by a fire in Looc that March. After the magnitude 6.9 Bogo earthquake on 30 September 2025, Mandaue and DPWH set an inspection; no damage was reported in the coverage found. DPWH’s 2023 bridge atlas rated both older bridges poor.
The four crossings of the Mactan Channel
Marcelo Fernan Bridge, the second crossing, opened on 3 August 1999 about 1.6 km north. CCLEX, the 8.9 km tolled expressway from the South Road Properties to Cordova, opened to motorists on 30 April 2022. The fourth, a 3.3 km bridge from Paknaan, Mandaue to Ibo, Lapu-Lapu, costed at ₱76.4 billion with JICA financing, was targeted to start in 2026 but had no confirmed start date in August 2026. When one bridge is under repair, the others take the overflow, which is why closures on Marcelo Fernan in 2025 made the old bridge slower at night.
Crossing the old bridge
- By car or taxi. Free, unlike CCLEX. Expect slow traffic at rush hour in both directions.
- Jeepney. Routes between Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu use both older bridges.
- On foot. There is a walkway on the south side.
- To the airport. Mactan Cebu International Airport is on the Lapu-Lapu side. The airport guide covers transfers.
Nearby on the Mandaue side is Parkmall. The downtown heritage sites, Magellan’s Cross and the Basilica, are several kilometers away in Cebu City, not by the bridge.
Most visitors cross one of these bridges within an hour of landing. The Airport Series CEB tee draws the island they land on.
Suroy Wear · Airport Series
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Osmeña Bridge named after?
Sergio “Serging” Veloso Osmeña Jr., former Cebu governor, Cebu City mayor and senator. RA 11828 made the name official in 2022.
How long is the Osmeña Bridge?
About 854 meters, with some sources giving 860 or 864 meters. It is about 9 meters wide.
When was the old Mactan bridge built?
Construction began in 1970 and it opened on 4 July 1973.
How many bridges connect Cebu and Mactan?
Three are open: the Osmeña Bridge (1973), Marcelo Fernan Bridge (1999) and CCLEX (2022). A fourth, from Paknaan to Ibo, is planned.
Is there a toll on the Osmeña Bridge?
No. Only CCLEX charges a toll.
Facts, repairs and the fourth bridge checked 28 October 2026.
