The Deputy Darcy Castelo de Mendonça Bridge, colloquially known as the Third Bridge (Portuguese: Terceira Ponte), is the second tallest
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 ...
in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
, connecting the cities of
Vila Velha
Vila Velha (; Portuguese for "Old Village") is a coastal city in Espírito Santo, Brazil. It lies across from Vitória, the state capital. Its population was 501,325 (2020) and its area is 210.23 km².
Location
Vila Velha forms part of th ...
and
Vitória in the state of
Espirito Santo
''Espirito'' (Brazilian for "Spirit") is the second album by Lawson Rollins. Rollins composed all of the music and co-produced the album with Persian-American musician and producer Shahin Shahida (of Shahin & Sepehr) and multi-platinum producer Do ...
. Spanning the mouth of Vitória's bay, which has many other features, including the
Penha Convent
Penha Convent (Portuguese: Convento da Penha) is a convent in Vila Velha, Brazil, on the top of a high mountain overlooking the cities of Vitória and Vila Velha. Founded in approximately 1558 by Pedro Palácios, today it is home to Espírito San ...
, Moreno's hill, freight ships, coastline, islands and modern buildings, the bridge has become one of Espirito Santo's main landmarks.
History
Construction and impact
Construction began on the bridge in 1978 and was completed and 11 years later on August 23, 1989. The Third Bridge was so dubbed in reference to two older bridges between Vitória and Vila Velha: Florentino Avidos Bridge, known as 'Five Bridges' ('Cinco Pontes'); and the Prince Bridge (Ponte do Príncipe), known as the 'Second Bridge'. It is now the main link between Vitória and the southern coast of Espirito Santo.
After the Third Bridge was completed, Vila Velha, previously known as a sleepy seaside town, entered a period of intense civil development.
Traffic and maintenance
12 thousand vehicles a day crossed the bridge soon after its completion. Since then, the traffic has increased to 58 thousand cars. The bridge has a modern structure, which includes: lighting, signalling, mechanical assistance and emergency medical services. The operation of the Third Bridge is monitored by its Operational Control Center. On December 21, 2003, aiming to enhance the image of the bridge and beautify the city, RodoSol, the company maintaining the bridge, installed blue fluorescent lamps on the central pillars of the third bridge.
Gallery
Image:Vixxx45454.JPG, The Third Bridge, Moreno's hill on the far left.
Image:Es ponte.jpg, Vitória's harbour entrance within the Third Bridge with Boi's island and Camburi Beach in the background.
See also
*
List of bridges by length
This is a list of the world's longest bridges that are more than in length sorted by their full length above land and water. The main span is the longest span without any ground support.
'' Note: There is no standard way to measure the total l ...
Bridges in Brazil
Buildings and structures in Espírito Santo
Transport in Espírito Santo
Toll bridges
{{Brazil-bridge-struct-stub