‘San Juanico 2.0’: Gov't targets 2026 for bridge design
MANILA, Philippines — The design for a second San Juanico Bridge is targeted to be completed by 2026, according to Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Raphael Bonoan said on Wednesday, May 21.
Plans for a second San Juanico bridge have been in the pipeline as early as 2021 in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The task becomes all the more pertinent now, however, with the original San Juanico Bridge set to undergo massive rehabilitation efforts.
“It’s now under detailed engineering design. We hope that the detailed engineering design will be completed by 2026 and thereafter, the construction will follow immediately,” Bonoan said.
The original San Juanico Bridge was initially set for rehabilitation only after the construction of the second bridge was completed.
However, the approach structures of the existing bridge have already deteriorated. The government is now limiting access to vehicles weighing up to three tons.
Retrofitting for the bridge is currently being done, Bonoan said. The vehicle weight limit may be increased within the year by up to 10 tons.
Bonoan clarified that the second bridge is not a temporary structure. Once completed, it will be longer than the original San Juanico Bridge. While the first bridge spans 2.1 kilometers, the second is set to stretch 2.6 kilometers.
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