The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will implement a strict three-ton load limit on the Liloan Bridge in Southern Leyte, effective July 4. This bridge is part of the nautical highway connecting Leyte Island to Mindanao and has been damaged by recent earthquakes.
To enforce this new regulation, the DPWH will install barriers at the bridge approach to ensure that only light vehicles can cross the 48-year-old structure. The existing five-ton load limit will remain in effect until July 3, 2025, with a grace period allowing empty vehicles exceeding five metric tons to exit Panaon Island until the same date. However, the entry of any vehicle over five metric tons into Panaon Island will be strictly prohibited, as stated by the DPWH Southern Leyte 2nd district engineering office.
On June 25, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council announced that vehicles exceeding three tons would be prohibited from using the bridge. The Liloan Bridge provides access to Liloan and San Ricardo ports, which facilitate regular Southern Leyte-Surigao roll-on, roll-off (RoRo) trips.
The new restrictions will impact the transport of goods to Liloan, San Ricardo, Pintuyan, and San Francisco towns in Panaon Island. For the past five months, the DPWH has enforced a five-ton load limit on the bridge due to damage from a magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck Southern Leyte on January 23, 2025, which caused a gap in the bridge’s steel expansion joint.
Additionally, the DPWH has announced plans for a six-year construction project to replace the existing Liloan Bridge with a new structure costing PHP5.1 billion. This project will be financed by the Export-Import Bank of Korea and the Philippine government. The proposed bridge will span the Panaon Strait, connecting Panaon Island to Leyte Island, and will include a 230-meter cable-stayed main bridge, a 146-meter approach bridge, and a 345-meter approach road.
