TACLOBAN CITY — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., together with DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon, led the inspection of the implementation of the two-way traffic and increased load limit of the San Juanico Bridge to 15 tons on Friday.

“We were hoping, ang aming prediction was makakatawid na ‘yung 12 tons truck dito sa San Juanico by Christmas time, by New Year,” the President said.

He expressed gratitude that work

was fast, which he said makes a big difference because it allowed 15-ton trucks to pass.

He shared that the city government of Tacloban has proposed a plan to allow big trucks weighting 30 tons to pass on one lane when the traffic permits.

“Iyong magkabilang LGU, sila ang magttraffic para tiyakin na one way lang ang takbo so isasara ‘yung one side kagaya kapag tinatrabaho ‘yung kalsada.”

Marcos said they will explore the possibility to ease transportation and bringing down transport costs and prices of goods.

“We are hoping to return the bridge’s function to allow 33 tons two-ways hopefully by the middle of next year, third quarter of next year, fully functional na ito,” he added.

He also hopes that the bridge’s closure will serve as a lesson to future administrators in government.

“The retrofitting cost us P1.1 billion. That is money that we could have saved if proper maintenance was carried out on San Juanico.”

In July, the President ordered the DPWH to fast-track the retrofitting of the bridge to increase its load limit by December.

The ongoing retrofitting focuses on strengthening critical components of the bridge following the completion of the portal shoring.

These activities were designed to enhance structural performance, improve load distribution, and prepare the bridge to safely transition from its current 15-ton limit back to its previous 33-ton capacity.

On May 15, 2025, the San Juanico Bridge was limited to a three-ton load limit due to significant structural damage, primarily affecting its superstructure.

Key affected components include roadway slabs, girders, truss members, piers, footings, piles, and bearing pads.

Extensive corrosion, fatigue, and buckling were identified during an in-depth assessment as critical damage to spans 1, 9, 24, 28, and 42, necessitating emergency mitigation efforts according to DPWH.

Over decades, natural aging, severe weather, and prolonged exposure have led to structural deterioration, prompting the imposition of the strict weight limit in May.

On June 5, Eastern Visayas was placed under a state of calamity following the recommendation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) through Resolution No. 1 (Series of 2025).

The NDRRMC recommended the declaration due to the increasing risks from significant structural compromises in the bridge.

The DPWH determined the bridge to be in critical condition due to these compromises, prompting the enforcement of a strict three-ton vehicle load limit effective May 15.

The San Juanico Bridge is a 2.16-kilometer structure that serves as the only permanent land link between the islands of Samar and Leyte.

It is a vital component of the Pan-Philippine Highway (Maharlika Highway/AH26), which connects Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.