A “second” San Juanico Bridge will be built.
SAN JUANICO BRIDGE – The government will construct a new and longer bridge as a replacement, according to DPWH.
According to Public Works Secretary Manny Bonoan, the San Juanico Bridge, which has been in use for more than 50 years now, needs a major rehab and retrofitting as 3 segments of it were deemed unsafe.
The Public Works Secretary said, “They recommended the immediate closure. Ang report nila talagang unsafe na ‘yung 3 segment. Ang isa ‘yung approach from Tacloban at ‘yung isa approach from Samar.”
A consulting firm recommended retrofitting and a limited load for the safety of the motorists. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has already imposed a strict 3-ton maximum axle load limit on all vehicles passing due to “vulnerabilities in the bridge’s components.”
Bonoan said that there was a plan to construct a new bridge nearby and adjacent to the existing San Juanico. This is accordingly now in the works. The new bridge will be funded by the Japanese government and is one of the flagship initiatives of President Bongbong Marcos.
“It’s now under detailed engineering design, we hope that the detailed engineering design will be completed by 2026 and thereafter, the construction will follow immediately,” he shared.
It is going to be longer, at about 2,600 meters.
With the current situation of the 52-year-old bridge, it has prompted Samar to declare a state of emergency as there have been difficulties in transporting gasoline and other commodities that are used to be delivered to the province through cargo trucks and other heavy vehicles.
As much as we all know, the bridge was completed in 1973 during the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. This served as his gift to his wife, Imelda Marcos. It connects the Samar and Leyte islands.
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