Puente de Occidente | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 6°34′40″N75°47′53″W / 6.57778°N 75.79806°W |
Carries | Pedestrians, motorcycles, cars, small trucks |
Crosses | Cauca River |
Locale | Between Santa Fe de Antioquia and Olaya |
Named for | Western Antioquia subregion of Antioquia Department |
Owner | Antioquia Department |
Heritage status | Fué declarado monumento nacional en el año de 1967. |
Characteristics | |
Design | Suspension/cable-stayed hybrid |
Material | Wood, iron, steel |
Total length | 291 m (955 ft) |
Clearance below | 4.6 m (15 ft) |
History | |
Designer | José María Villa |
Construction start | 4 December 1887 |
Construction end | 27 December 1895 |
Construction cost | $171,300 |
Location | |
The Puente de Occidente (Bridge of the West), so named because it is located in western Antioquia, Colombia, is a suspension bridge that connects the municipalities of Olaya and Santa Fe de Antioquia, east and west of the Cauca River, respectively. At the time it was considered to be the third largest suspension bridge worldwide. [1]
The bridge is a single suspension span supported from four pyramidal towers - two on each bank of the river - with each tower anchoring two cables. The span has a main central section which cars and smaller trucks can cross, and two pedestrian paths on either side of the central roadway. All three paths have wood upper surfaces. Construction started in 1887, under the direction of engineer José María Villa, after authorization by Marcelino Vélez, governor of Antioquia. The cables and other steel parts were purchased from England, while the towers were constructed of local materials. [2] The Puente de Occidente was initially open only to pedestrian traffic; later, vehicles were allowed.
While today there are other, much longer suspension bridges in South America, originally the Puente de Occidente was the longest of its kind in the continent. It was declared a National Monument of Colombia on 26 November 1978. José María Villa, who had been born nearby in Sopetrán, studied engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey; after finishing his studies in the United States, he participated in the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. The structural system of the Puente de Occidente is similar to the suspension/cable-stayed hybrid used in the Brooklyn Bridge. [3]
Significant restoration was performed in the early part of 2014. [4]
A cable-stayed bridge has one or more towers, from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern or a series of parallel lines. This is in contrast to the modern suspension bridge, where the cables supporting the deck are suspended vertically from the main cable, anchored at both ends of the bridge and running between the towers. The cable-stayed bridge is optimal for spans longer than cantilever bridges and shorter than suspension bridges. This is the range within which cantilever bridges would rapidly grow heavier, and suspension bridge cabling would be more costly.
Medellín, officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín, is the second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central region of the Andes Mountains, in northwestern South America. The city's population was 2,508,452 at the 2018 census. The metro area of Medellín is the second-largest urban agglomeration in Colombia in terms of population and economy, with more than 4 million people.
The Alamillo Bridge is a structure in Seville, Andalucia (Spain), which spans the Canal de Alfonso XIII, allowing access to La Cartuja, a peninsula located between the canal and the Guadalquivir River. The bridge was constructed as part of infrastructure improvements for Expo 92, which was held on large banana farms on the island. Construction of the bridge began in 1989 and was completed in 1992 from a design by Santiago Calatrava.
Santa Fe de Antioquia is a municipality in the Antioquia Department, Colombia. The city is located approximately 58 kilometres (36 mi) north of Medellín, the department capital. The population was 23,216 at the 2018 census.
Liborina is a municipality in Colombia, located in the Western subregion of the Antioquia Department. It borders the municipalities of Sabanalarga, San Andrés de Cuerquia, and San José de la Montaña to the north; San José de la Montaña and Belmira to the east; Santa Fe de Antioquia and Olaya to the south; and Buriticá to the west. Its town center is 80 kilometers via Sopetrán and 77 kilometers via Santa Fe de Antioquia from Medellín, the capital of Antioquia. The municipality covers an area of 217 square kilometers and is connected by road to the municipalities of Sabanalarga, San José de la Montaña, Belmira, Olaya, and Buriticá.
Santa Rosa de Osos is a middle city and municipality of Colombia located in the northern of the department of Antioquia. Bounded on the north with the municipalities of Yarumal and Angostura, on the east with Guadalupe and Carolina del Principe, on the south with the municipalities of Donmatías, San Pedro de los Milagros and Entrerríos, and on the west with Belmira and San José de la Montaña.
Rionegro is a city and municipality in Antioquia Department, Colombia, located in the subregion of Eastern Antioquia. The official name of the city is Ciudad Santiago de Arma de Rionegro. Rio Negro means "Black River" in Spanish, as the city received its name after a river that looks black because of the shadows cast by trees. The river traverses the city and it is the most prominent geographical feature of the municipality. Rionegro is also sometimes called the Cuna de la democracia as it was one of the most important cities during the era of the Colombia's struggle for independence and the 1863 constitution was written in the city.
The municipalities of Colombia are decentralized subdivisions of the Republic of Colombia. Municipalities make up most of the departments of Colombia with 1,122 municipalities (municipios). Each one of them is led by a mayor (alcalde) elected by popular vote and represents the maximum executive government official at a municipality level under the mandate of the governor of their department which is a representative of all municipalities in the department; municipalities are grouped to form departments.
Mompox or Mompós, officially Santa Cruz de Mompox, is a town and municipality in northern Colombia, in the Bolívar Department. The town initially grew from its proximity to the Magdalena river and has preserved much of its colonial character. It also played an important role in the independence of America from Spain. Today, Mompox depends upon tourism, fishing, and some commerce generated by the local cattle raising. The municipality has a population of 46,408 and is adjacent to the municipalities of Pinillos and San Fernando. The historic center of Mompox was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, owing to its preserved colonial architecture and mixture of architectural styles.
The Puente Colgante, originally called Puente de Clavería, was a suspension bridge that connected the Manila districts of Quiapo and Ermita across the Pasig River in the Philippines. Designed by Matia, Menchacatorre and Cía., completed in 1852, it was the first modern wire-cable suspension bridge in Asia and the first toll bridge of its kind in the Philippines. It was replaced by Quezon Bridge in 1939.
The Catedral San Nicolás el Magno is a Roman Catholic co-cathedral, located in the municipality of Rionegro, Antioquia, Colombia. The church, under the Diocese of Sonsón-Rionegro is dedicated to Saint Nicholas and was elevated to the title of cathedral on 20 April 1968 by Pope Paul VI.
The Baluarte Bridge, officially the Baluarte Bicentennial Bridge, is a cable-stayed bridge in Mexico. It is located between the municipalities of Concordia in Sinaloa and Pueblo Nuevo in Durango, along the Durango–Mazatlán highway, Mexico 40D. The bridge has a total length of 1,124 m (3,688 ft), with a central cable-stayed span of 520 m (1,710 ft). With the road deck at 403 m (1,322 ft) above the valley below, the Baluarte Bridge is the third-highest cable-stayed bridge in the world, the eighth-highest bridge overall, and the highest bridge in the Americas.
The Seven Wonders of Colombia was a 2007 competition sponsored by El Tiempo. The newspaper asked readers to nominate and vote for man-made structures whose engineering, architectural or historical value deserved special recognition.
La Ceja del Tambo, known as La Ceja, is a town and municipality in the Antioquia Department of Colombia. It is part of the subregion of Eastern Antioquia. La Ceja borders the Rionegro and Carmen de Viboral municipalities to the north, La Unión to the east, and Montebello and Retiro to the west. It is located approximately 41 kilometers from Medellín, the department capital.
The Currents Bridge, is a tied-arch bridge that crosses the Lérez River in the city of Pontevedra, Spain. It was inaugurated in 2012 and connects Uruguay Avenue and Domingo Fontán Street.
The paseo marítimo of Pontevedra is a pedestrian way along the seafront facing the ria of Pontevedra, in Pontevedra, Spain. This coastal public space is built in the urban and semi-urban area of the city and defines its encounter with the sea and the Lérez river.