Officials and representatives from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and a team of global engineering experts from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) met on November 16, 2023 to discuss the overview and critical issues of the proposed 2nd San Juanico Bridge which is now under preparatory survey.
Led by DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil K. Sadain, the meeting was attended by JICA Southeast Asia Division 5 Director Takehihiro Kido; JICA Philippines Office Senior Representative Fukui Keisuke; JICA Southeast Asia Division 5 Country Officer Yuji Hijikata; JICA Study Team headed by Yuichi Sano of Nippon Koei; DPWH Unified Project Management Office-Bridge Management Cluster (UPMO-BMC) Team headed by Project Director Rodrigo I. Delos Reyes; and representatives from the DPWH Planning Service, Regional Office 8, the Department of Finance, and National Economic Development Authority.
Critical issues that were discussed include the coverage of the Feasibility Study which will be conducted by the JICA Study Team in coordination with the DPWH UPMO BMC and Regional Office 8, route selection, number of lanes, and traffic operation options for the 2nd San Juanico Bridge, including the rehabilitation of the existing San Juanico Bridge.
Concerns on the environmental coverage of the study were also discussed, as well as the inclusion of the future operation and maintenance of the bridge.
DPWH Senior Undersecretary Sadain also requested to the JICA Team to consider the design that would complement future road projects in Eastern Visayas Region, including the proposed rehabilitation of Daang Maharlika in Samar Province to be funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the Samar Pacific Coastal Road Phase II under the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) of the Government of Korea.
The JICA Study Team for the 2nd San Juanico Bridge Project started their first of four (4) on-site visits in the bridge route options on November 17, 2023. Second, third, and final on-site studies are slated in February-March 2024, July 2024, and September 2024 respectively, with final Feasibility Study Report targeted to be completed and submitted by early December 2024.
The 2nd San Juanico Bridge Project, which is aimed to provide an alternative link between Samar and Leyte and decongest the iconic San Juanico Bridge, is among the priority flagship infrastructure projects of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. administration.