The Philippine Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has confirmed that the construction of a second San Juanico Bridge—set to run parallel to the aging existing span—will move forward as a flagship project under the Marcos administration, catalyzed in part by non-destructive testing (NDT) data revealing critical structural vulnerabilities.
Originally constructed between 1969 and 1973, the 2.16-kilometer San Juanico Bridge remains the sole land-based link between the islands of Leyte and Samar. However, decades of wear, limited maintenance, and growing traffic volumes have raised structural and safety concerns. To address these, DPWH began a PHP 84.7 million rehabilitation project in 2022, which included tightening of high-tension bolts and comprehensive NDT evaluations to assess the bridge’s internal condition.
The DPWH Bureau of Design and the Bureau of Research and Standards deployed NDT technologies—such as ultrasonic testing and corrosion mapping—to evaluate load-bearing members and hidden steel components. The findings provided critical insights into metal fatigue, corrosion, and long-term serviceability.
Informed by these results, DPWH has since implemented a stop-and-go traffic system and imposed a 3-ton weight limit on the current bridge to mitigate risk while a replacement is prepared.
“The new bridge is now under preparation. In fact, this will be one of the flagship projects under this administration, and this will be financed by the Japanese government,” said DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan. “It’s now under detailed engineering design, [and] we hope that the detailed engineering design will be completed by 2026 and thereafter, the construction will follow immediately.”
The new bridge will feature a modern 2.6-kilometer suspension design and will be constructed adjacent to the original. With a proposed budget of PHP 9.17 billion, the project is expected to significantly increase vehicle capacity and operational safety, especially for heavy transport and emergency logistics.
In 2023, DPWH and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) initiated a feasibility study for the second bridge, integrating data collected from previous NDT reports to refine the engineering scope and environmental parameters.
DPWH Eastern Visayas Regional Director Allan Borromeo emphasized the urgency of the project: “The land transportation between the islands of Samar and Leyte depends only on the existing San Juanico Bridge, with two lanes built in the 1960s. The traffic volume has been increasing every year.”
As infrastructure modernization accelerates across the Philippines, this project demonstrates how NDT is not only preserving national assets but actively shaping future infrastructure decisions. By enabling deep insights without damage or disruption, NDT continues to evolve as a cornerstone of safe, data-driven development.
