# Candaba Viaduct

The Candaba Viaduct, also known as the Pulilan–Apalit Bridge and the Candaba Pampanga Viaduct, is a 5-kilometer (3.1 mi) viaduct carrying the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) across the Candaba Swamp in the provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan, Philippines. It consists of six lanes (three northbound and three southbound). It was the longest bridge in the Philippines upon its opening in 1977 until it was surpassed in 2021 by the 8.9 km Cebu–Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX), making the viaduct the second longest bridge in the country since then. The viaduct was designed by Aas-Jakobsen and built by Construction Development Corporation of the Philippines (CDCP, later renamed to Philippine National Construction Corporation) as part of construction of the whole NLEX.
Overlooking Mount Arayat to the east and the Zambales Mountains to the west, the viaduct is raised over Candaba Swamp and Pampanga River by 20 feet (6.1 m), about the same as the current elevation of Bacolor, also in Pampanga, after lahars that resulted from the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo affected the municipality from 1991 to 1995, which keeps the highway open to traffic, even when the swamp gets flooded during the rainy or monsoon season. Lighting, emergency callboxes and CCTVs along the viaduct are powered by solar panels due to the problem of installing power lines within the viaduct.

## Route description

The Candaba Viaduct passes over Candaba Swamp and adjacent Pampanga River and connects the provinces of Pampanga and Bulacan. Most of its portions are lined with billboards, rice paddies, and some trees.
The viaduct starts at Barangay Dulong Malabon in Pulilan where there are a few houses located under it and after a few meters, it enters the municipality of Calumpit. After another few meters of passing Calumpit, it enters Pampanga (Apalit) upon passing a U-shaped stream and continues on a straight route. It then passes through an area with palm trees, Apalit Bypass Road (with no junction or exit to serve the bypass road) and Pampanga River, by which the parish church and Apalit town proper are located, visible from the road. A footbridge is located on its southbound lane. The bridge ends after crossing Pampanga River.

## History

In 1974, the extension of the expressway of 50 kilometers (31 mi) began construction, and in 1977, the viaduct was constructed, which was initially a single bridge. The project was constructed as a component project of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development under the direction of the Ministry of Public Highways, and through Presidential Decree No. 1113, President Ferdinand Marcos granted CDCP the franchise to maintain and operate the expressway, including the Candaba Viaduct. The second bridge became accessible to motorists in 1978.
The operations and maintenance of the whole of NLEX, including Candaba Viaduct, were transferred to NLEX Corporation on February 10, 2005.
In February 2017, it was announced that the Candaba Viaduct would be expanded and would have a third lane on both sides of the bridge. First Balfour undertaken the construction of emergency lay-by bays and a 320-linear-meter median crossover.
In February 2023, Leighton Asia was given the P7.89-billion construction contract for the third bridge, and in April of the same year, the 5.3-kilometer (3.3 mi) Third Candaba Viaduct was started to be built between the viaduct's northbound and southbound lanes. It is built to unload some of the weight passing through the existing bridges. It intersects the Apalit Bypass Road and was expected to be completed by 2024. 2x3 lanes without shoulders is being constructed, from 3 lanes without shoulder to 3 lanes with inner and outer shoulders in each direction which increases speed from 60 to 80 kms. per hour, using green and sustainable engineering practices. It will have piers at every 20 meters each supported by 2 columns and 2 bored piles that will strengthen the structure.
As of February 2024, the construction of the Third Candaba Viaduct is 50% complete. Jose Luigi L. Bautista signed a ₱10 billion loan agreement with the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) for funding to ensure its completion in November 2024. The NLEX Corporation on February 26, 2024, said that the successful first girder installation marked the transition from heavy groundwork construction to road-level work. The project reached the halfway mark a significant milestone.
The project was opened in segments, with the Pulilan Zone 1 being opened in August 2024, Apalit Zone 2 in October, and Apalit Zone 3 in December. Hereafter, President Bongbong Marcos, with Manny Pangilinan and Speaker Martin Romualdez led the inauguration and opening of the Third Candaba Viaduct at BigBen Farm, North Polo Club' Barn Events, Barangay Tabon, Pulilan. Later, the southbound bridge was temporarily closed when vehicles passed through the third viaduct.
* Third Candaba Viaduct Construction
* Pulilan NLEX access road
* Third Candaba Viaduct in February 2024
* Bored piles, columns, crossheads and girders

## In popular culture

This bridge is the reference in a joke, "Mula sa kabila, itlog. Pagtawid naging 'ibon' na sa haba ng tulay" (transl. "From the other end, was still an egg. When they reached the other end, it became a 'bird' due to the bridge's length"). It is because the Kapampangan word for egg is "ebun".