Isabela bridge now open to light vehicles

MANILA, Philippines — Light vehicles can now cross the Cabagan-Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela, a year after a segment collapsed due to overloading.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon on Monday led the reopening of the bridge to motorists and residents.

The temporary bridge connector was completed on February 27, following Dizon’s order on January 5 for a 60-day completion.

“We saw the hardship of our fellow citizens here in Isabela. They had to use boats and cross the wide river just to get from Cabagan to Sta. Maria and back,” Dizon said in Filipino in an interview.

READ: DPWH says severe overloading proximate cause of Isabela bridge collapse

Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Cagayan Valley earlier said that “vehicles with up to 3 tons gross vehicle weight and 2.5 meters overhead height” can pass through the bridge. In addition, 24/7 traffic management will be implemented.

Residents had complained of disruptions to their livelihoods when the bridge collapsed last year, including the extra cost of taking a boat to travel between Cabagan and Sta. Maria.

READ: DPWH: Collapsed Isabela bridge already ‘cracked’ in 2018

The 990-meter bridge, which connects the towns of Sta. Maria and Cabagan and spans the Magat River in northern Isabela, collapsed on February 27, 2025, after a dump truck loaded with stones crossed its third segment.

During a Senate hearing, then DPWH chief Manuel Bonoan said the truck weighed around 89.63 metric tons, exceeding the maximum allowed gross vehicle weight of 45 tons. He added that “overloading of trucks and repeated passage induced fatigue in the bridge and may have caused the collapse.”

Construction of the bridge began in November 2014 and was completed on February 1, 2025, at a total cost of P1.2 billion. /mcm