The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) conducted a follow-up monitoring and second fact-finding mission for the proposed Second San Juanico Bridge Construction Project, which aligns with the integrated and seamless transport system program of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
The September 23, 2025 meeting was attended by DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain, Unified Project Management Office-Bridges Management Cluster Project Director Rodrigo I. Delos Reyes, and JICA officials Risa Aramaki, Saiko Yamazaki, and Ryutaro Uchino. Members of the JICA Study Team, Yuichi Sano, Takeyuki Takada, and Takuya Kuramochi, also joined the mission.
The review covered updates on the draft final feasibility study, technical and financial requirements, and environmental and social safeguards in preparation for JICA loan appraisal. Sadain said the bridge will boost the economies of Samar, Leyte, and Mindanao, complementing projects such as the 233-kilometer Samar Section of the Samar and Agusan Daang Maharlika Road, to be funded by the Asian Development Bank, and the 15-kilometer Samar Pacific Coastal Road Phase II funded by Korea’s Economic Development Cooperation Fund.
The proposed two-lane, 2,610.6-meter bridge will connect Barangay 105 (San Isidro/Suhi), Tacloban City, to Barangay San Juan, Santa Rita, Samar. The ₱20.282-billion project features a 320-meter steel arch, AASHTO girder approach spans, deep-water foundations, seismic isolation bearings, composite slabs, and aluminum guardrails. It is expected to serve 15,000 vehicles daily and ease congestion on the existing San Juanico Bridge.
The feasibility study, which began in October 2023, is set for completion in September 2025, with ECC approval expected in October. A loan signing with JICA is targeted for February 2026, followed by detailed design and construction through 2030. The rehabilitation of the existing San Juanico Bridge will also be part of the detailed design.
