San Juanico Bridge

San Juanico Bridge

The San Juanico bridge links the islands of Samar and Leyte together.

Construction began in 1969 and was completed 4 years later.

There are claims of it being the longest, biggest, most beautiful and blah bla bla…but it is a pretty nice bridge and the view from the top is very inspiring.

San Juanico Bridge

It is high enough to let the ships pass beneath it while the vehicles pass over head.

There checkpoints on both sides of the bridge for vehicle inspection etc but I’ve not yet been stopped. The weigh station on the Samar side checks all the heavy trucks coming down from Manila.

The traffic over this bridge is light as most of the vehicles leaving from Tacloban are headed southbound to Ormoc City.

These motorcycles are unique to the southern Samar – northern Leyte area. Notice the roofs over these bikes. It rains a lot there and the roof protects passengers from the sun as well.

My guess is around 10 to 15 percent of all the bikes in this area have these improvised roofs. All the tricycles do.

5 to 6 people are often seen on one bike. On a tricycle there is no limit and you can occasionally see upwards of 15 people on one of those contraptions.

If you are on a motorcycle headed into Tacloban be sure to have a helmet and a license plate on the bike because there are many traffic police in the area and it will be a problem if you forget to bring one. In the province it is rare to see helmets being used. In the bigger cities like Cebu, Tacloban, and Ormoc they are required.

There is a walkway on both sides of the bridge if you are up to walking across.

There are “No Stopping” signs posted but it seems common for jeepneys and private cars to stop and let passengers off at the top and coming back later to pick them up.

The traffic on the bridge is light so if you time your crossing just right there will be no cars in sight.

I think the posted speed is 30 kph max but traffic rarely moves that slowly.

There are cafes on both sides of the bridge but I usually take a break on the Samar side.

Those cafes seem nicer to me and they have the all important karaoke.

I usually take my motorbike and wait out the rainstorms here. Most of the bad weather rolls in from the east and a quick glance to the sky can indicate that a storm is on the way.

One of the friendly waitresses belting out a tune.

I have been stopping in at this cafe once a week lately. I enjoy traveling the south road to Guiuan.

Basey and Marabut are a short run from Tacloban and worth a visit.

We waited out one severe rainstorm here a few days ago.

The drawback to riding a bike is that you always have to prepare for the rain.

update Sept 2008 – San Juanico Bridge

Walking across the San Juanico Bridge between Leyte and Samar

We parked our bike at the military checkpoint on the Samar side and started walking

Probably the best time to walk is around 4pm because the sun is starting to go down but there is still nice lighting for pictures.

It gets dark around 6pm and the intense heat of the day gives way to the evening.

This is one beautiful bridge.

Walking south towards Leyte from Samar.

It’s a long way to the water. The bridge sways when large vehicles pass, adding to the excitement.

The actual structure of the bridge is fascinating.

There seems to be very little corrosion on this bridge. On other bridges I often noted a lot of peeling paint and heavy rust, but not here.

Looking north towards Samar, where we live. Vehicles are not permitted to stop on the bridge but you often see it done.

There are areas to park on either end of the bridge and it’s good exercise to walk!

Crossing the Bridge

Helmets are required as you get closer to Tacloban but I think you can cross the bridge without one. I don’t think these cheap helmets, that you get free when you buy your bike, would really provide very much protection in a crash.

San Juanico Bridge