Leonel Viera Bridge

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lionel Viera Bridge
Puente Barra Maldonado (Punta del Este).jpg
Coordinates34°54′39.2″S 54°52′21″W / 34.910889°S 54.87250°W / -34.910889; -54.87250Coordinates: 34°54′39.2″S 54°52′21″W / 34.910889°S 54.87250°W / -34.910889; -54.87250
CarriesUruguay Route 10
Crosses
LocalePunta del Este-La Barra
Official namePuente Lionel Viera
Characteristics
DesignStressed ribbon bridge
MaterialConcrete
Total length150 m (490 ft)
Width10 m (33 ft)
Longest span90 m (300 ft)
No. of spans3
Piers in water2
History
Designer
Construction start1963
Opened1965
Location

The Lionel Viera Bridge, also known as the Puente de la Barra and Maldonado Bridge, is a stressed ribbon bridge linking the cities of Punta del Este and La Barra across the  [es] in southern Uruguay. The bridge is a landmark of both the local beach communities and of Uruguay.

History[]

A man by the last name Martínez, the first owner of the La Barra hotel, La Posta del Cangrejo, convinced the then Uruguayan president Eduardo Víctor Haedo to build a bridge linking that town with Punta del Este. Historically, there has been two bridges built at the same crossing of the Maldonado River which each failed due to natural disasters.[1][2]

The bridge was designed by builder  [es] (1913–1975), who had no previous experience in architecture or civil engineering. Viera pioneered the construction sequence now typical for concrete segment bridges of this type. After placement of the principal cables, precast concrete tiles were placed to form the initial structure. The cables were then prestressed by loading sandbags upon the tiles, followed by final concretization of the gaps between tiles. Removal of the sandbags then compressively stressed the concrete structure, enhancing its stiffness and durability under load. The overall structure of the bridge would have a main span of 90m (295ft) with two shorter 30m (98ft) spans linking the main span to the shore.[3] The ingenious design and later construction of the bridge propelled Viera to national fame.[4] [5]

In 1998, a contract was awarded to engineer Alberto Ponce Delgado to twin the bridge 20 meters (65ft) upstream of the original span. A study commissioned in 1999 found that the original span was in need of repairs, which were later completed in 2005.[6]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Perdomo Freitas, A. C. (1990). Aspectos generales de la hidroquímica de la porción estuarial del arroyo Maldonado.
  2. ^ Christophersen, M. (1999). La Barra de Maldonado: Bisagra de una región. M. Christophersen Miller.
  3. ^ "Puente Leonel Viera (La Barra/Punta del Este, 1965)". Structurae. Retrieved 2019-08-21.
  4. ^ Análisis de autores - Obra de Leonel Viera Archived 2014-05-13 at the Wayback Machine Departamento de Construcciones, Escuela de Ingeniería Civil, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Ingeniería y Agrimensura, Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Consultado el 12 de mayo de 2014.
  5. ^ Varese, J. A. (2005). Costas de Maldonado. Ediciones Granica SA.
  6. ^ Manterola, Javier (2002). "Problemas sobre la estética de los puentes" (PDF). Ingeniería y Territorio. 58. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2012.
Stub icon 1 Stub icon 2

This article about a bridge in Uruguay is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t
Retrieved from ""