📋 Tender Overview
LOAD LIMIT. Barriers at the approach of San Juanico Bridge to ensure compliance to load limit. San Juanico Bridge will be off-limits to heavy vehicles for nearly two years pending the completion of the PHP900 million total rehabilitation project the Department of Public Works and Highways said on Thursday (May 15 2025). (PNA photo by Sarwell Meniano)
TACLOBAN CITY – San Juanico Bridge will be off-limits to heavy vehicles for almost two years pending the completion of the PHP900 million total rehabilitation project the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said Thursday.
DPWH Eastern Visayas assistant regional director Ma. Margarita Junia said a major rehabilitation is needed to strengthen the structural integrity of the bridge built in August 1969 and completed in 1973. It is the longest bridge along the Pan-Philippine Highway that connects Luzon and Mindanao.
If retrofitting of the 42 spans of the bridge will be fully funded it will take nearly two years before we will allow all types of vehicles to use the bridge Junia told reporters in a press briefing late Thursday.
The Eastern Visayas Regional Development Council will hold a special meeting on Monday to endorse the proposed funds for inclusion in the 2026 budget.
For 2025 the DPWH only has a PHP150 million budget for retrofitting some bridge piers and spans.
On Thursday the DPWH started setting up barriers at the approach of the 2.16-km. San Juanico Bridge to prevent cargo trucks and buses from crossing the 52-year-old structure and lessen its deterioration days after receiving directives from Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
The load limit is only three tons for each vehicle prompting traffic build-up of buses and trucks on both the Leyte and Samar sides.
Consultants presented the recommendations to Bonoan on May 9 after thorough inspection of the bridge superstructure.
“The load limit is better than the total closure of the bridge. We have been thinking of solutions to address this concern” Junia added.
The DPWH has identified several roll-off/roll-off ports in Samar and Leyte provinces for the transport of goods from Luzon and Mindanao. (PNA)
