SAN JUANICO BRIDGE

TACLOBAN CITY LEYTE, PHILIPPINES

Asia's Longest Bridge - Leyte and Samar: Eastern Visayas, Philippines

Tacloban City link Sta. Rita, Samar

Built over the narrow San Juanico street, the San Juanico Bridge–which is 2.16 kilometerslong–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. 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 San Juanico Bridge, formerly the Marcos Bridge, is a Compression arch bridge in the Philippines stretching from Samar to Leyte crossing theSan Juanico Strait. It is part of the Pan-Philippine Highway. It is the longest bridge in the Philippines with a length of 2.16 kilometers (1.34 mi) ^[1] and is considered one of the most beautifully-designed bridges in Philippines.^[2] The bridge is supported by 43 spans rising 41 meters above the sea.^[1] It has a large arch beneath which allows boats to pass. Connecting Tacloban City on the Leyte side and Santa Rita town on the Samar side, it offers many picturesque views, especially of the San Juanico Street with its thousand whirlpools as well as the islets of the province. It is approximately 10 minutes from downtown Tacloban City and is accessible by passenger jeepney, bus, motorcab or private vehicle. Construction on the 21.9 million-dollar bridge began in 1969 and was completed in 1973, during the presidency ofFerdinand Marcos.^[3] The Construction and Development Corporation of the Philippines (now the Philippine National Construction Corporation) was contracted to construct the actual bridge, and together with Japanese engineers, conducted studies and designed the actual project.^[4] The Leyte & Samar Links by means of Trading and Transportation...