AN INTIMATE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE BREATHTAKING QUIRINO BRIDGE

 Location:  Barangay Banaoang, Santa, Ilocos Sur, Philippines

The 4-span 456-meter arch Quirino Bridge

I have been dreaming of walking by foot over this bridge whenever the vehicle I am boarding passes through this point.  By this time, I called the shots because I was the organizer of the 3-day 2-night Ilocos Sur-Ilocos Norte Trip package catered by Biag's Mark Travel & Tours operated by my former PNB colleague, Cherry Abad with her husband, Perin.  This was with the approval of my boss, Mrs. Lucia M. Llego.  With that, I requested Perin to allow us to stay shortly on the bridge for picture taking.

The Bantay-side bridge entry point

This majestic steel bridge is sometimes called Banaoang Bridge and some locals when  you ask them this is Santa Bridge.  No wonder why, because it connects picturesque rocky mountain slopes of the town of Santa and the tail end of Bantay, both part of the province of Ilocos Sur.

Capturing the bridge's runway while onboard our chartered vehicle

On the other hand, this bridge is legitimately called Quirino Bridge, because it was named after the late former 6th Philippine President Elpidio Quirino, who is a native of Vigan.  As per record, it is classified as having the old Parker-type (camelback) structural design.

The fascinating Abra River as captured from Quirino Bridge

The bridge is not only praised by its bewitching engineering grand design, but also for strength and durability when it survived the bombings made during World War II.

The 7-span 456-meter long New Quirino Bridge

Due to damage caused by Super Typhoon Feria, which washed away one of its steel spans in July 2001, it was reconstructed installing a different third quarter K-truss portion to make it passable.  However, a construction of a new replacement bridge spanning 456 meters long started in December 2007 which is just 350 meters away from the old bridge.

A monumental walk with my colleagues over this majestic bridge

Finally, on December 30, 2009, the new Quirino Bridge was inaugurated by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo where it was subsidized under the Japan-funded Urgent Bridges Construction Project for Rural Development which plans to replace old bridges with new bridges, on national roads that lead to urban centers all over the country.  To date, the bridge is still  passable and maintained by the national government for tourist attraction.