DPWH eyes higher, 33-ton load limit at San Juanico Bridge
TACLOBAN CITY—The Department of Public Works and Highways in Eastern Visayas (DPWH-8) is considering allowing vehicles weighing up to 33 tons to cross the San Juanico Bridge, a significant increase from the original proposed limit of 12 tons.
DPWH-8 assistant regional director Margarita Junia said they had requested their engineering consultancy firm to study the feasibility of increasing the allowable weight limit to 33 tons.
Currently, only vehicles weighing up to 3 tons are allowed to cross the 2.16-kilometer bridge, which was closed to vehicles weighing beyond the load limit on May 15 following reports of structural defects.
“The initial plan, as mentioned by (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan, was to raise the load capacity to 12 tons. But this week, we also asked our consultant to compute for a 33-ton capacity,” Junia said in an online interview on Friday.
The load limit imposed on the 52-year-old bridge, which connects Leyte and Samar islands, was recommended by Angel Lazaro and Associates International, the engineering consultancy firm contracted by the DPWH to conduct a structural assessment.
Junia said they were still waiting for the firm to submit the retrofitting design based on the revised load capacity proposal.
No timetable yet
If approved, the 33-ton limit would allow larger vehicles—including buses, trucks, and other commercial vehicles—to traverse the bridge, leaving cargo vehicles loaded with goods and other products stranded on both sides of the bridge.
“This will help address the congestion problem caused by the current load limit on the San Juanico Bridge,” Junia said.
A fishing port in Basey, Samar, is now being expanded to accommodate roll-on roll-off ships to ferry cargo trucks between Samar and Tacloban City in Leyte.
Before the load limit was imposed, more than 14,000 vehicles crossed the San Juanico Bridge daily, over 1,400 of which were cargo or commercial trucks.
The San Juanico bridge is a vital link for transporting goods in Eastern Visayas and its now limited capacity has strained commerce and caused prices of goods and fuel to rise in the region composed of the provinces of Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Biliran.
Remedial repair
Junia said they could not provide a timeline for the start of the bridge’s repair work as funding from the national government has yet to be released.
Bonoan earlier disclosed that the cost of the bridge’s “remedial” repair is estimated at P1.2 billion while its full rehabilitation would require about P5.68 billion.
In the meantime, Junia said their office issued a certificate of port readiness on June 5 for the Amandayehan Port in Basey town to begin operations soon.
Originally constructed as a fish port, the Amandayehan Port has been identified as a temporary facility for transporting heavy trucks prohibited from crossing the San Juanico Bridge.
The port is expected to be operational by this week.
The load restriction on the bridge has disrupted the delivery of fuel and other essential goods, particularly to the Samar side.
As a result, Tacloban City and the provinces of Samar and Eastern Samar have all declared a state of emergency due to the economic and logistical impact of the restrictions.
