San Juanico Bridge

About this place

The San Juanico Bridge is a long bridge joining the islands of Leyte and Samar across the San Juanico Strait, between Tacloban City and Santa Rita. It is 2,164 metres long, with a main span in the shape of a steel arch above blue water and small green islets. Nicknamed the Bridge of Love, it is a well-known tourist landmark of the area. It opened in 1973 as part of the Pan-Philippine Highway, funded with Japanese development loans, and was then the longest bridge in the country. Economic activity between the two islands took years to catch up with it. It was slightly damaged by a typhoon in 2013, and its lights first came on in October 2022. In May 2025 a load limit was imposed over structural concerns, and it reopened to vehicles of up to 15 tons in December 2025. It has 43 steel spans, the largest 192 metres. From the road you see the metal arch rising over the strait, with islets floating like green boats. The view from above is wider, showing the bridge winding between the islands. In the evening the coloured lights appear at set times. Boat tours also show it from the sea. The bridge is 7.3 km in a straight line north-west of Tacloban. Pedestrians were banned from it in 2025 and we could not confirm the current position, so do not count on walking it, and ask in Tacloban. Consider viewing it from a lookout or a boat, watch the traffic, and do not stop on the road without permission.