People were surprised by the sudden closure of the San Juanico Bridge. The closure was announced DPWH Regional Director, Engr. Edgar B. Tabacon during a press conference held on 15 May 2025, a Thursday. The announcement shocked motorists as the bridge was closed early morning the following Monday, 19 May 2025. Many travelers from far north in Luzon and from the south in Mindanao. Passengers on buses who are expecting to reach their destination to catch important appointments were held indefinitely at both ends of the bridge without clear explanation as to when they can proceed with their trip. There were no alternate routes that the public could avail of.
The reported damage did not happen overnight. It was caused by the passage of moving loads beyond the soil bearing capacity of the sand or silt underwater, the punching shear capacity of the deck or pavement or roadway where moving loads run, the bearing capacity of the columns, strength of the piers, steel girders and bearing plates that allow for lateral movement caused by the contraction of the concrete pavement as well as seismic forces and the strength of the steel trusses and arch. Such heavy moving loads continued to cross the bridge over a long period despite the weigh bridge on both ends of the bridge.
We cannot blame the public if they express their observation and dismay as they notice heavy trucks with farm products, construction materials and other overweight loads being held and impounded at the foot of the bridge, albeit momentarily as the said heavy vehicles are nowhere in sight at both ends of the bridge early at dawn the next day. The public could only infer that the heavy vehicles passed through the guarded post at both ends of the bridge mayhap while those on duty blinked or looked the other way as the heavy vehicles pass through their post. The public could only guess the cause why such incidents happen despite guards and technical men manning the weigh bridge who are tasked to implement weight limits.
Confronted with all uncertainties caused by the reported structural damage of the San Juanico bridge, the public needs accurate information as to the extent of the damage, with the DPWH sharing to the media and the public the underwater video footages of the foundation and columns that were found structurally weak as well as images of the steel structure and concrete pavement under the bridge. Such information will assuage the anxiety and draw cooperation from the public insofar as traffic regulations are being implemented. There is also a need to inform the public of the cost and the time line for the completion of the bridge retrofitting as well as the repair of the Amandayehan port.
In the meantime, the drivers of passenger buses detoured to the nearest alternate route by way of the wharf in San Antonio, Basey, Samar. It is well to mention that San Antonio had already been serving as gateway from many barangays in the nearby towns of Santa Rita and Marabut as it has a fixed schedule of motor vessels travelling to the regional center that is Tacloban City at an average voyage time of fifteen minutes and an interval of departure among motor vessels of fifteen minutes. This, while the Amandayehan port is still under repair and the San Juanico bridge is limited to less than 3 tons moving loads.
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