Patapat Viaduct: Your DIY Guide

Posted on by Loneprowler

Ilocos Norte boasts several man-made wonders. Aside from Spanish-era museums, the province also has outdoor structures. Probably, the Patapat Viaduct is the most famous among them.

Contents

Disclaimer: The content of this article is based on personal experience as well as references to the date of publication. Changes may occur on contact details, transportation, fees, etc. With this, please do comment at the end of the article any updates as well as corrections on the content, anything amiss, or any information that you think is crucial to the readers. Thank you!

Location

Address: Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte, Philippines

Coordinates: 18.575713629220896, 120.89459367044957

Map:

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Business Hours
  • Curfew may be imposed at some point and circumstance.

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Fees
  • Entrance Fee: None

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Contact Person/Group/Website/Page

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Driving Through Patapat Viaduct

Ilocos Norte boasts several man-made wonders. Aside from Spanish-era museums, the province also has outdoor structures. Probably, the Patapat Viaduct is the most famous among them.

Patapat Viaduct, otherwise known as Patapat Causeway Bridge or Patapat Bridge, is located on the northernmost part of Ilocos Norte, with the border to Cagayan. This is the reason it was on the last part of my itinerary when I visited the province.

The causeway bridge is 1.3 kilometer long and is elevated 31 meters above sea level [1]. This concrete, two-lane elevated coastal road connects the Maharlika Highway in Ilocos Norte to Cagayan Valley. Traversing the bridge, you will easily notice that it zigzags with the contour of the hillside. Under the management of DPWH-PMO-PJHK, the bridge was erected by Hanil Development Co. Ltd. and finished and opened to traffic in October 1986 [2]. Constructed above the rocky seashore, the viaduct was engineered to solve the recurring problem of landslides in this particular part of the region [1,2]. 

Months after the construction has been finished, images of the causeway became viral in the internet. Patapat Viaduct is now a famous tourist destination in the region. It offers a majestic view of Pasaleng Bay. Moreover, the islands of Fuga and Calayan are visible to the naked eye on a clear day. Aside from causeway being the 4th longest bridge in the country, Patapat Viaduct is also located on the starting point of the Cordillera Mountain Range.

The Patapat bridge, which is constructed at the foot of the Patapat mountain, is a destination in itself as it provides a great view of West Philippine Sea.
At the end of the causeway towards the Cagayan Valley boundary, we stopped and enjoyed the beautiful scenery with the cold sea breeze on our face.
From the road, you can have a glimpse of the pebbled Patapat Beach.
The above video would give you a glimpse of the scenic viaduct.

In conclusion, Patapat Viaduct is a worthy addition to your Ilocos Norte itinerary as it offers a great view of pebbled coastal area, West Philippine Sea, and a glimpse of the beginning of the Cordillera Mountain Range while traversing the 4th longest bridge in the country.

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How to Get To Patapat Viaduct

By land. Take any bus heading to Laoag City.

  • Manila buses bound to Laoag City are Partas, Dominion Bus, Aniceto Bus, Viron Transit, Florida Bus Line, Fariñas Trans, Maria De Leon Bus Lines, RCJ Bus Lines and F. Franco Transit. Make sure it is bound to Laoag, though most of these buses also have Vigan to Laoag trips. There are tricycles and vans for hire which usually covers a group of tourist destinations in the province.
  • From Baguio City, you can take a Partas bus near SM City Baguio or the ordinary mini-buses in Bayanihan. Make sure it is bound to Laoag, though most of these buses also have Vigan to Laoag trips. There are tricycles and vans for hire which usually covers a group of tourist destinations in the province.
  • GMW Liner and Florida Liner have buses plying a vice versa Abra and Tuguegarao with a stop in Laoag City route. There are tricycles and vans for hire which usually covers a group of tourist destinations in the province.

By air. Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines flies from Manila to Laoag International Airport.

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Helpful Local Phrases
  • Good morning: Naimbag a bigat; Good afternoon: Naimbag a malem; Good day: Naimbag nga aldaw; Good evening: Naimbag a rabii
  • How are you?: Kumusta
  • Thank you: Agyamanak
  • What is your name?: Ania ti nagan mo?
  • I don’t understand: Diak maawatan
  • How do I get to…?: Kasantnu ak a makapan sadiay…?
  • One: maysa, two: duwa, three: tallo, four: uppat, five: lima, six: ennem, seven: pito, eight: walo, nine: siyam, ten: sangapulo
  • How much is this?: Sagmamano daytoy?
  • Help!: Arayat!
  • Sorry: Pakawanennak

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Other Notable Nearby Places

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References

[1] Dangerousroads.org. n.d. The winding Patapat Bridge: a paved road along the sea coast. [online] Available at: <https://www.dangerousroads.org/asia/philippines/4048-patapat-bridge.html&gt; [Accessed 23 March 2021].

[2] Kbl.org.ph. n.d. Patapat Viaduct. [online] Available at: <https://kbl.org.ph/patapat-viaduct/&gt; [Accessed 23 March 2021].

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Advertisement

Don Mariano Marcos Bridge: 3rd Longest Bridge in the Philippines

Posted on by Loneprowler

As rivers in Abra snakes around the province, the construction of bridges is but necessary to connect towns. One of which is the Don Mariano Marcos Bridge, one of the longest of its kind in the country.

The name of the bridge has a history, unlike other bridges being named to the place where it is located. The bridge was constructed in the early 1970s and when it was about to be completed in 1974, the Provincial Board and the Mayor’s League of Abra inked a resolution on 08 February 1974 to “name the new bridge, DON MARIANO MARCOS BRIDGE, in memory of the man, who, during those critical days of the Japanese Occupation saved a vanquished people from the mire of despair into which they were arbitrarily cast by their victors (PD 422, s. 1974).” This was then adopted as Presidential Decree No. 422, series of 1974 when it was signed on 27 March 1974.

The Don Mariano Marcos Bridge is the third longest of its kind in the country. Its total length is even longer than Calaba Bridge spanning 886.812 meters across the Lagben River connecting municipalities of Tayum and Dolores (The Philippine Star, 16 April 2017).

Gallery

Below is the Google Map of Don Mariano Marcos Bridge which crosses over Lagben River.

The bridge is painted with red, giving a warm aura during sunset.

To give justice to the beautiful scenery along the bridge, I have embedded a photo from Marc7travels website (Del Rosario, 2017) below.

Other Notable Tourist Spots in Abra

There are a lot of tourist destinations in Abra with Kaparkan Falls at the helm. Others include Kili Falls, Tayum Church, Cassamata Hill National Park, Tayum Church, Apao Rolling Hills, Sibud-Sibud Cave, Libtec Crystal Cave, Calaba Bridge, Piwek Rock Formations, Tangadan Tunnel, and many more.

References

Del Rosario, M. (2017). Aba! Abra! Aba! (Unlocking Abra’s landlocked beauty). Accessed on 27 June 2019 from https://www.marc7travels.com/marc7-travels-blog-entries/aba-abra-aba-unlocking-abras-landlocked-beauty.

Presidential Decree 422, series of 1974. Naming the bridge across the Abra River linking the municipalities of Tayum and Dolores, Abra, as “Don Mariano Marcos Bridge.” Accessed on 27 June 2019 from http://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1974/03/27/presidential-decree-no-422-s-1974/.

The Philippine Star. (16 April 2017). Uncovering Abra. Accessed on 27 June 2019 from https://www.pressreader.com/.

Calaba Bridge: Connecting People

Posted on by Loneprowler

Bridges are primarily built to connect places with a body of water or a ravine in between. However, the case of Calaba Bridge, the longest Modular Bridge ever constructed of one Austrian company, connecting towns of Abra, has also become a tourism fixture along the Scenic Abra river.

Before its construction, the people need to cross the Abra River to go to the other side using a ferry. This, however, posed danger to the people during rainy season where the water is turbulent. Further, transporting heavy trades and goods along the river is quite expensive as well as time and effort consuming.

Project Details: Waagner-Biro

The Calaba Bridge in the Philippines is currently the longest Modular Bridge ever constructed by Waagner-Biro (2012). It measures 900 meters and covers the length of the Abra River. Further, according to the Austrian construction company, for the people of the area, the Calabra Bridge represents a great relief, because, in the past, they were restricted to using a ferry to cross the river which interrupted its service during high waters for safety reasons.

It was completed in the year 2010 under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) projects and now connects three municipalities across the Abra River, namely La Paz, Danglas, and Lagayan to Bangued and other parts of the province.  More importantly, the bridge serves as a primary link to the provinces of Ilocos Norte and Cagayan, and other urban centers in the region and even cuts driving hours by one hour when connecting to Laoag City International Airport (Benas, 2010) .

Gallery

Satellite image of the bridge from Google Map is seen in the embedded map below.

I took the following image as well as the header image when I visited the province in 2006. Never did I imagine that such bridge of monstrous size is connecting peoples in Abra.

The embedded image below is taken by the Austrian construction company upon its completion in 2010. (Photo source: Waagner-Biro)

To give a different view of the bridge from the two previous images, I embedded another image from Tupang Gala (2015).

Unfortunately, as the bridge has a moderate traffic when I went there, I wasn’t able to take a photo at the middle of the bridge. Here is another embedded image (Cabigas, 2014) to give justice to the allure of the bridge.

Other Notable Nearby Tourist Spots

There are a lot of tourist destinations in Abra with Kaparkan Falls at the helm. Others include Kili Falls, Tayum Church, Cassamata Hill National Park, Tayum Church, Apao Rolling Hills, Sibud-Sibud Cave, Libtec Crystal Cave, Don Mariano Marcos Bridge, Piwek Rock Formations, Tangadan Tunnel, and many more.

Reference

Benas, B. (2010). Calaba bridge links Abra, Baguio Midland Courier, 2. Accessed on 27 June 2019 from http://www.baguiomidlandcourier.com.ph/abra.asp?mode=%20archives/2010/may/5-2-2010/abra4.txt

Cabigas, E. (2014). A 900 meter bridge over stunning scenery in Abra. Accessed on 27 June 2019 from Langyaw website http://langyaw.com/2014/08/17/900-meter-bridge-stunning-scenery-abra/.

Tupang Gala. (2015). Bangued: Calaba Bridge, bridging hope for Northwestern Abra. Accessed on 27 June 2019 from Tupang gala website http://www.tupanggala.com/calaba-bridge/.

Waagner-Biro. (2012). Calaba Bridge. Accessed on 27 June 2019 from Waagner-Biro website https://www.waagner-biro.com/en/divisions/bridge-construction/references/reference/calaba-bridge.