The Mavilla Bridge ( es, Puente de Mavilla), or Bridge 354, is located at kilometer 17.7 on
Puerto Rico Highway 159
Puerto Rico Highway 159 (PR-159) is the main road from Morovis to Toa Alta, passing through the municipality of Corozal, Puerto Rico.
Route description
This road begins in downtown Morovis, from PR-155 until the PR-165 in Toa Alta. It is about ...
between
Corozal and
Bayamón,
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
.
The bridge has maintained most of its original design and structure over the years. It was constructed in 1903 replacing a wooden bridge that had been at the location since 1853, and served as a road between
Toa Alta
Toa Alta () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast of the island, north of Naranjito; south of Dorado and Toa Baja; east of Vega Alta and Corozal; and west of Bayamón. Toa Alta is spread over eight barrios an ...
and Bayamón municipalities, in the 19th century.
Description
Built in 1903, the bridge has not been altered much since its beginnings. Its construction cost $3,000 and 80 men worked on its construction under the direction of Roque Paniagua. In 1909, the contractor José García González added a concrete
balustrade
A baluster is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its con ...
at a cost of $644. Its construction in 1903 eased transportation between Corozal and nearby towns of Toa Alta,
Orocovis
Orocovis (from Taino language, Orocobix popularly thought to mean "''remembrance of the first mountain''") is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Central Mountain Range, north of Villalba and Coamo; south of Morovis and Cor ...
,
Vega Alta and
Naranjito. This is the oldest, concrete-lowered, arch bridge and one of the most attractive. The bridge span is long and wide.
Its arch is 50 feet above the
Mavilla River. Mavilla Bridge was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places list on July 19, 1995.
[ With ]
Río Mavilla, Corozal-Vega Alta, Puerto Rico.jpg, Río Mavilla under the Mavilla Bridge
Folklore
There is a legend of a woman who lives around the Mavilla Bridge. In (''Ten of My Stories''), author Sixto Febus writes that one night, while returning from work, he picked up a woman from the side of the road who was standing near the Mavilla Bridge. He did not get a good look at her as she got into the back seat of his car. He tried making small talk with the woman but she did not talk until when she finally spoke, it was to ask she be dropped off at the cemetery.
It was when she exited the car that he looked at her as she was walking away and noticed she was headless.
See also
*
References
External links
Patrimonio, vol. 4 (2012) - Revista oficial de la Oficina Estatal de Conservación Histórica - Obras de infraestructura
{{Subject bar, auto=y, d=y
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico
Bridges completed in 1903
1903 establishments in Puerto Rico
Corozal, Puerto Rico
Arch bridges
National Register of Historic Places in Bayamón, Puerto Rico