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 takes its name from the strait it crosses and 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.

History

Built as the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway Bridge, it cost US$22 million, funded by development loans from Japan's Overseas Technical Cooperation Agency, the forerunner of JICA, the first such Japanese aid to the Philippines. Construction began in 1969 and the bridge was inaugurated on 2 July 1973; little traffic used it at first, but the economies of Samar and Leyte have since grown into it (Wikipedia, San Juanico Bridge).

Highlights

• 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.

Before you go

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.

Key facts