Tuesday, December 2nd, 2008 • Cebu, Philippines
San Juanico Bridge, country’s longest
Built over the narrow San Juanico strait, the San Juanico Bridge–which is 2.16 kilometers long–still holds the record as the longest bridge in the Philippines.
The bridge connects Tacloban City on the Leyte side and the town of Sta. Rita on the Samar side. It crosses the San Juanico strait, reportedly the world’s narrowest since it’s only two kilometers wide at its most narrow point.
Constructed in 1973 during the administration of the late President Ferdinand Marcos, the bridge is supported by 43 spans that rise 41 meters above the sea.
A panoramic view of the bridge can be found here (opens in new window). (Click on photos to view larger images.)
The views from the bridge are fantastic and include the islets near the bridge as well as the strait’s thousand whirlpools. 
The 34-year-old steel structure is just 10 minutes away from the Tacloban City center. It is accessible by jeepney, bus, motorcycle, or private vehicle.
There are daily flights from Manila to Tacloban City. From Cebu, the best way to get to Tacloban would be to ride on a fast boat, such as the Supercat fast craft, to Ormoc City and then take a van for hire from Ormoc to Tacloban, which is about two to three hours away.
The vans for hire are parked at the Ormoc City pier. Van fare was only 110 pesos during our visit in April 2006.
More photos:
7 Responses to “San Juanico Bridge, country’s longest”
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1June 11th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
so, where san juanico bridge is located at??
2June 11th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
jolina,
the bridge connects the islands of leyte and samar in the visayas, philippines.
3September 1st, 2007 at 3:01 pm
beautiful bridge it formed letter S stands for samar, ang letter L for leyte. i miss this san juanico.
4September 11th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
can you paste some thesis in ths web, and also try to reveal how the bridge was constructed, of how the bridges was constructed under water…. thanks
5January 5th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Can someone tell me, how far is it from Tacloban to the nearest nice, clean beaches? Would they be in Leyte or in Samar? Thank you.
6May 7th, 2008 at 9:25 am
is it true that the former late president Marcos offered san juanico bridge to
his wife as a gift. For Mrs.Imelda have difficulty of going to her home town Leyte?
7August 19th, 2008 at 3:22 am
For me the best and the nearest beach from Tacloban would be in Marabut in Samar. It is approximately 30 kms from the city with good concrete roads. If you prefer the nearest one, i would suggest the McArthur park hotel. It is at the historic site of McArthur’s Leyte Landing.