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San Juanico Bridge reopened on November 12 to two-way traffic under a 15-ton load limit
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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. committed to completing full rehabilitation next year
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The Department of Public Works and Highways completed portal shoring works, enabling safe two-way traffic while retrofitting continues
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Emergency closure earlier this year disrupted travel and trade across Eastern Visayas
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Marcos ordered an increased load limit and expedited rehabilitation during a June inspection
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San Juanico Bridge, built in 1969 and opened in 1973, remains a critical regional transport link
San Juanico Bridge partially reopened Friday to two-way traffic under a 15-ton load limit, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leading the ceremony and giving assurance that full rehabilitation will be completed next year.
During an inspection in Tacloban City, Marcos said the bridge’s repair is nearing completion and will restore its original 33-ton load capacity.
“I’m very happy that I’m able to say now, it is very close to our deadline. And so, the San Juanico Bridge is partially finished. It will be finished next year so that the bridge will be able to take again the load of 33 tons going both ways,” the President said during the event.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported the completion of portal shoring works, providing temporary structural support that allows retrofitting to proceed safely without adding stress to the bridge.
With these measures in place, the bridge can now accommodate two-way traffic under the prescribed load limit while permanent strengthening works continue.
Marcos visited the San Juanico Bridge and Amandayehan Port in Basey, Samar in June to monitor government response following the bridge’s emergency closure, which hindered mobility and trade across Eastern Visayas.
During that visit, he directed the DPWH to increase the allowable load to 12 metric tons by year-end and accelerate rehabilitation efforts for the essential link between Samar and Leyte.
READ: DPWH guarantees hike in San Juanico Bridge load limit by yearend
The President maintained that shutting down the bridge was necessary after engineers discovered severe, long-hidden structural damage.
“I hope that this serves as a lesson to all future administrators in government, to all government workers who have anything to do with this. The retrofit costs us P1.1 billion. That is money that we could have saved if proper maintenance was carried out on San Juanico,” Marcos said on November 12.
He added that the DPWH’s annual maintenance and other operating expenses allocation should have been sufficient to preserve the structural integrity of the bridge and other critical infrastructure.
“I hope that this is a lesson to us and of all of those in the future whose responsibility will be to look after our thoroughfares, to always remember the experience of San Juanico Bridge that if we had only maintained it, we would have saved a great deal of problems,” he said.
Built in 1969 and opened in 1973, the 2.15-kilometer San Juanico Bridge remains a vital artery for Eastern Visayas, supporting the movement of people, goods, and regional commerce.
