New San Juanico Bridge to be built before PBBM term ends
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has recently implemented a stop-and-go traffic flow and a 3-ton weight limit on the San Juanico Bridge, a vital 2.16-kilometer link between Samar and Leyte. This iconic structure, built between 1969 and 1973 and serving as a crucial artery connecting Luzon and Mindanao, has significantly deteriorated due to years of neglect and inadequate maintenance.
Addressing this, Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan has now confirmed that the PBBM administration plans to construct a “2nd San Juanico Bridge”, which will be adjacent to the current one, designating it as a flagship infrastructure project.
“The new bridge is now under preparation. In fact, this will be one of the flagship projects under this administration, and this will be financed by the Japanese government,” said Sec. Bonoan. “It’s now under detailed engineering design, [and] we hope that the detailed engineering design will be completed by 2026 and thereafter, the construction will follow immediately.”
The new bridge will span a longer distance at 2.6 kilometers and will feature a modern suspension bridge design.
PHP 9.17 billion
In 2022, citing concerns over the San Juanico Bridge’s age and capacity, DPWH proposed a new bridge that will be built adjacent to the current one at a cost of PHP 9.17 billion.
“The land transportation between the islands of Samar and Leyte depends only on the existing San Juanico Bridge, with two lanes built in the 1960s. The traffic volume has been increasing every year,” said DPWH Eastern Visayas Regional Director Allan Borromeo.
Also during 2022, DPWH began San Juanico Bridge’s PHP 84.7 million rehabilitation works, which involved the tightening of high-tension bolts and repainting the structural steel. The DPWH Bureau of Design and the Bureau of Research and Standards also conducted non-destructive testing (NDT) for detailed bridge conditions, corrosion inspection, and monitoring of bridge steel members on the San Juanico Bridge.
In 2023, DPWH and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) started a feasibility study for the 2nd San Juanico Bridge project.
