MANILA — The iconic San Juanico Bridge is now open to two-way traffic after months of rehabilitation work, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced Friday, assuring residents of Samar and Leyte that the bridge’s full restoration will be completed next year.

During an inspection in Tacloban City, Marcos said the structure is “very close” to meeting its rehabilitation targets and will be able to handle its original 33-ton capacity once repairs are fully completed.

“I’m very happy that I’m able to say now, it is very close to our deadline… The San Juanico Bridge is partially finished. It will be finished next year so that the bridge will be able to take again the load of 33 tons going both ways,” he said.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported the completion of portal shoring works, which provide temporary support to the bridge during retrofitting. With this, the bridge can now safely accommodate two-way traffic under a controlled 15-ton load limit, allowing motorists to continue using the vital link between Samar and Leyte.

The President last visited the bridge in June following its emergency closure, which disrupted mobility and trade across Eastern Visayas. He had directed the DPWH to raise the allowable load to 12 tons by December and expedite rehabilitation works.

Marcos said the shutdown became necessary after inspections revealed severe, decades-old structural damage that had gone unnoticed.

“The retrofit costs us PHP1.1 billion. That is money we could have saved if proper maintenance was carried out on San Juanico,” he said, emphasizing the need for consistent upkeep of national infrastructure.

He added that the DPWH’s maintenance budget should ensure regular inspections and repairs to prevent similar disruptions. “I hope this is a lesson… that if we had only maintained it, we would have saved a great deal of problems,” he said.

Built in 1969 and inaugurated in 1973, the 2.15-kilometer San Juanico Bridge remains a crucial artery for families, commerce, and regional development in Eastern Visayas.