Mabini Bridge

Mabini Bridge Tulay ng Mabini
Crosses	Pasig River
Locale	Manila
Other name(s)	Nagtahan Bridge
Characteristics
Design	Pontoon bridge
History
Constructed by	US Army Corps of Engineers
Construction end	1945

Mabini Bridge, or formerly known as Nagtahan Bridge, was constructed between January to February in 1945. It initially served as a pontoon bridge crossing the Pasig River, connecting the Santa Mesa and Paco. It was used to transport U.S. Army jeeps and evacuate citizens caught in the crossfire during the Liberation of Manila.

There were plans for a new bridge to connect the Mendiola route to Malacañang Palace was made even before the emergence of World War II. However, the construction did not push through. The pontoon bridge stood for several decades after the World War II despite the construction materials used to build it. It was made out of inflated rubber rafts placed side by side - spanning until the opposite bank of the Pasig River. Two parallel perforated steel planks, each measuring about 1 metre (3.3 ft) wide and 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) apart were laid upon its surface. It was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers - enough to carry human traffic as well as light vehicles. In August 17, 1960, a barge collided against the wooden piles of the bridge. It caused major damages to the bridge - which caused flooding within the nearby residences.

In 1963, a permanent bridge was constructed - named Nagtahan. It connected Paco with the Pandacan District. However, the Mabini Shrine (the former residence of Apolinario Mabini) was situated on the north bank. The government, then, relocated the house at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Santa Mesa. In lieu with the 103rd birth anniversary of Apolinario Mabini on July 22, 1967, President Ferdinand Marcos issued the Proclamation No. 234, s. 1967, renaming Nagtahan Bridge as the Mabini Bridge - in memory of Apolinario Mabini, the Sublime Paralytic.

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