President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced a significant milestone in the rehabilitation of the iconic San Juanico Bridge, confirming its reopening to two-way traffic under a controlled 15-ton load limit following several months of critical repair work.
The reopening, effective Friday, marks a major step toward restoring the vital link between the islands of Samar and Leyte, which was severely disrupted by the bridge’s necessary emergency closure.
During an inspection in Tacloban City, President Marcos Jr. personally assured the people of Samar and Leyte that the full rehabilitation remains on track, with completion anticipated next year. This final stage will allow the bridge to safely accommodate its original capacity of 33 tons going both ways.
“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 stated.
The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) announced the successful completion of the bridge’s portal shoring works. These works provide essential temporary support to the existing structure, enabling the permanent retrofitting to proceed safely without adding strain to the bridge.
The DPWH confirmed that the completion of the shoring allows the San Juanico Bridge to safely carry two-way traffic under the controlled 15-ton limit, minimizing inconvenience for motorists while the permanent strengthening works are executed.
President Marcos Jr. used the occasion to underscore the critical importance of ensuring proper and timely maintenance of vital national infrastructure to prevent future socio-economic disruptions.
The President lamented the significant cost of the rehabilitation, which he attributed to decades of neglect.
“The retrofit costs us PhP1.1 billion. That is money that we could have saved if proper maintenance was carried out on San Juanico,” President Marcos Jr. said, stressing that annual budget allocations for maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) should cover the regular upkeep of crucial infrastructure.
“I hope that this serves as a lesson to all future administrators in government… The experience of San Juanico Bridge [is] that if we had only maintained it, we would have saved a great deal of problems,” he added.
The 2.15-kilometer San Juanico Bridge, constructed in 1969 and opened in July 1973, remains a critical artery for the Eastern Visayas region, serving as a vital corridor for families, commerce, and regional development.
President Marcos Jr.’s directive last June, following a visit to oversee the response to the emergency closure, expedited the rehabilitation timeline. The closure was deemed necessary after a structural inspection revealed severe, unseen damage due to the lack of decades-long maintenance, confirming the need to prioritize public safety.
The government remains committed to the full restoration of the bridge’s structural integrity to ensure its service for decades to come.
