Bridge of Bacunayagua. Considered one of the seven wonders of Cuban civil engineering. It was built between 1956 and 1959 18 km west of the city of Matanzas, on the Vía Blanca, it serves as a boundary to the provinces of Mayabeque and Matanzas, which it links. Its length is 313.50 meters with 11 lights of 28.50 meters. It is the highest bridge in Cuba with 103.50 meters from the level of the river to the pavement.
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| Bridge of Bacunayagua |
Location
This pass is located 18 kilometers west of the city of Matanzas and establishes the territorial limit of this province with that of Mayabeque. To the north of the raceway you can see the sea; and the bed and mouth of what in a remote time must have been the bed of a mighty river. To the south you can see the Yumurí Valley.
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| Bridge of Bacunayagua |
Description
The Bacunayagua Bridge is founded directly on the rock supported by Vierendel-type towers, post-tensioned in the central arch. The beams were placed by launching reinforcement and each weigh 47 tons. The piles were cast with sliding molds, and all made in a lush, difficult-to-access area. Its length is 313.50 meters with 11 spans of 28.50 meters and it is the highest bridge in Cuba with 103.50 meters from the level of the river to the pavement.
The bridge is made up of closed abutments and the piers are made up of porticoes with two columns resting on the rock, except for the three central piers that are supported by two symmetrical polygonal arches joined at their nodes by highly rigid transverse beams, and on the columns a header that supports the rafters.
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| Bridge of Bacunayagua |
History
It was built between 1959 and inaugurated on September 26 of this last year. This bridge over the Vía Blanca, between Mayabeque and Matanzas, has the longest free span in Cuba with 114 meters. Its location on a deep gorge near the sea, makes it save a height of more than 100 meters, where there is a strong wind that complicated its construction. The project was carried out by the firm Sáenz, Cancio, Martín, and its main designer was the engineer Luis Sáenz Duplace.
The Bacunayagua Bridge was the last missing link to complete the Vía Blanca, which was built in the mid- 20th century with the aim of uniting the cities of Havana and Matanzas. Its length is 313.50 meters with 11 spans of 28.50 meters and it is the highest bridge in Cuba with 103.50 meters from the level of the river to the pavement.
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| Bridge of Bacunayagua |
A peculiarity in its construction is that it did not have any false work, it was prefabricated in its entirety and the roof has reinforced concrete beams, which save 28 meters of span with a depth of 1.30 and a thickness of 15 cm.
In 2011, repair work began on the vertical elements (frames) and then progressively faced the beams, boards and arches, being concluded in 2015 thanks to these works the viaduct achieves its initial bearing capacity and offers security for another 20 years without need for major repair.