San Juanico Bridge

The San Juanico Bridge runs just over two kilometres across the San Juanico Strait, joining Leyte to Samar, and it has been the longest bridge in the country since it opened in 1973. Its shape is what people notice: the approach viaducts curve, so from the air or from a boat below the whole structure reads as a long S, with a steel arch over the navigable channel in the middle. The strait itself is narrow, deep and swirling with current, scattered with small islands, and the view from the bridge - or from the viewing decks at either end - takes in that water and the coastlines running away on both sides. It was built during the Marcos period and named for the towns at its ends, and it carries the main road link between the two islands, so it is busy with traffic. Load restrictions and repair works have closed or limited it at times.

What you actually see

• The S-curve - the shape of the approach viaducts.
• The steel arch - the span over the navigable channel.
• The strait below - fast water and scattered islets.
• The viewing decks - stopping points at either end.

When to go

November to May for clear weather. Sunrise and sunset are the best light; the bridge is lit at night, which is the other common time to see it.

Honest expectations

It is a working highway - walking it means sharing narrow footways with heavy traffic. Repair works and load limits have restricted access at times. There are no facilities on the bridge itself.

Nearby

Tacloban and the 1944 landing memorial at Palo are in Leyte; Basey and the Sohoton caves are in Samar.