The Tampico Bridge () is a vehicular

cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), 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 o ...

connecting the

Mexican states The states of Mexico are first-level administrative territorial entities of the country of Mexico, which is officially named United Mexican States. There are 32 federal entities in Mexico (31 states and the capital, Mexico City, as a separate ent ...

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Tamaulipas), is a state in the northeast region of Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal Entiti ...

and

Veracruz Veracruz (), formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave), is one of the 31 states which, along with Me ...

in eastern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Geography

The bridge crosses the

Pánuco River The Pánuco River ( es, Río Pánuco, ), also known as the ''Río de Canoas'', is a river in Mexico fed by several tributaries including the Moctezuma River and emptying into the Gulf of Mexico. The river is approximately long and passes throug ...

near the coast of the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

. It connects the city of

Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fifth ...

in Tamaulipas and Pueblo Viejo Municipality in Veracruz.

Design and engineering

The bridge has been in service since 1988 and was designed by Professor Modesto Armijo from COMEC, a Mexican engineering company. It was designed to withstand the severe Atlantic

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...

s from the Gulf of Mexico. The bridge uses an orthotropic steel deck girder for a central section of the long main span, while the rest of the main span and the short lateral spans are a

prestressed concrete Prestressed concrete is a form of concrete used in construction. It is substantially "prestressed" ( compressed) during production, in a manner that strengthens it against tensile forces which will exist when in service. Post-tensioned concreted i ...

girder. Both steel and concrete deck girders have the same external shape. This original design principle was later used for the main span of the

Pont de Normandie The ''Pont de Normandie'' ( en, Normandy Bridge) is a cable-stayed road bridge that spans the river Seine linking Le Havre to Honfleur in Normandy, northern France. Its total length is – between the two piers. It is also the last bridge to cr ...

, a cable-stayed bridge in

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

, France. The dynamic analysis of the bridge under turbulent cyclonic winds, as well as the revision of the structural project, and the geometry plus stress control of the bridge during erection, were achieved by Alain Chauvin from Sogelerg, using the French "Scanner" computer program.

Toll

The bridge is tolled by

Caminos y Puentes Federales Caminos y Puentes Federales de Ingresos y Servicios Conexos (''Federal Roads and Bridges and Related Services'', CAPUFE) is a federal government agency of Mexico that operates and maintains federally owned roads and bridges. It is part of the Secr ...

, which charges cars 32 pesos to use it.CAPUFE: Tarifas Vigentes
January 31, 2017

Gallery

File:Puente Tampico Tamaulipas.jpg File:El Puente Tampico.jpg File:Puente Tampico.jpg File:Tam´pico.jpg File:Puente tampico.jpg

References

External links

Cable-stayed bridges in Mexico Buildings and structures in Tamaulipas Buildings and structures in Veracruz Pánuco River Tampico Transportation in Tamaulipas Transportation in Veracruz Bridges completed in 1988 1988 establishments in Mexico {{Mexico-bridge-struct-stub