The Libertador General San Martín Bridge ( es, Puente Libertador General San Martín) is a

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...

road bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

that crosses the

Uruguay River The Uruguay River ( es, Río Uruguay, ; pt, Rio Uruguai, ) is a major river in South America. It flows from north to south and forms parts of the boundaries of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, separating some of the Argentine provinces of La M ...

and joins

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

. It runs between Puerto Unzué, near Gualeguaychú,

Entre Ríos Province Entre Ríos (, "Between Rivers") is a central province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires (south), Corrientes (north) and Santa Fe (west), and Uruguay in the east. Its capital is Paraná ( ...

, Argentina, and

Fray Bentos Fray Bentos () is the capital city of the Río Negro Department, in south-western Uruguay, at the Argentina-Uruguay border, near the Argentine city of Gualeguaychú, Entre Ríos, Gualeguaychú. Its port on the Uruguay River is one of the nation's ...

Río Negro Department Río Negro Department ( es, Departamento de Río Negro, ) is a department of the northwestern region of Uruguay. It has an area of and a population of 54,765. Its capital is Fray Bentos. It borders Paysandú Department to the north, Tacuarembó D ...

, Uruguay, with a total length of 5,366 meters (3.7 mi) (4,220 meters (13,845 ft) in Argentine jurisdiction and 1,146 meters (3,760 ft) in Uruguayan territory). Studies for the construction of a bridge over the Uruguay River were started in 1960 by a joint commission, which decided that the best place for it would be between Puerto Unzué and Fray Bentos. In 1967 the two countries signed an agreement ratifying the location, and in 1972 the construction contract was awarded to the International Bridge Consortium (''Consorcio Puente Internacional''), setting the cost at $ 21.7 million, then adjusted upwards. The bridge is named after

José de San Martín José Francisco de San Martín y Matorras (25 February 177817 August 1850), known simply as José de San Martín () or '' the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru'', was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and cent ...

, a major figure in the struggle for independence in Argentina, Chile and Peru. It was officially inaugurated on September 16, 1976. It was opened for public use and the next day it started functioning under a

toll Toll may refer to: Transportation * Toll (fee) a fee charged for the use of a road or waterway ** Road pricing, the modern practice of charging for road use ** Road toll (historic) The road toll was a historical fee charged to travellers and ...

regime.

References

''Puentes sobre el Río Uruguay''
(in Spanish) *

External links

Bridges in Argentina Bridges in Uruguay Buildings and structures in Entre Ríos Province Buildings and structures in Río Negro Department Toll bridges Bridges completed in 1976 Argentina–Uruguay border crossings International bridges Bridges over the Uruguay River Gualeguaychú, Entre Ríos Fray Bentos 1976 establishments in Argentina 1976 establishments in Uruguay Cantilever bridges {{Argentina-bridge-struct-stub

See also

References

External links