The San Juanico Bridge
It’s classic - you get used to its presence, you forget about its uniqueness. The San Juanico Bridge is there all the time, one loses sight of its being. Too close to the trees to see the forest. Let me sit you back for a better perspective…
The San Juanico Bridge, the longest bridge in the Philippines with a length of 2.16 kilometers and considered one of the most beautifully-designed bridges, is an S-shaped bridge connecting the islands of Samar and Leyte across the San Juanico Strait - the longest strait in the world. It is part of the Maharlika Highway which traverses from Luzon to Mindanao.
The bridge designed by one of the famous Filipino engineers, Arvin Valderrama, is supported by 43 spans rising 41 meters above the sea. It has a large arch beneath which allows boats to pass.
Connecting Tacloban City on the Leyte side (background) and Santa Rita town on the Samar side (foreground in photo above), it offers many picturesque views, especially of the San Juanico Strait with its thousand whirlpools and tropical islets. It is approximately 20 minutes from downtown Tacloban City.
Construction on the 21.9 million-dollar bridge began in 1969 and was completed in 1973. The Construction and Development Corporation of the Philippines (now the Philippine National Construction Corporation) was contracted to construct the bridge, and together with Japanese engineers, conducted studies and designed the project.
- For a 360-degree panoramic view of the bridge and other Philippine sites, visit: http://virtual-museum.com/phil-panos/juanico-pano.html
- Source: Wikipedia
What a very very cool bridge.
It’s an architectural and engineering marvel and it’s found in Leyte and Samar! Hey, that sounds like good material for a quiz show!