The Cuscatlán Bridge () was a

suspension bridge A suspension bridge is a type of bridge in which the deck (bridge), deck is hung below suspension wire rope, cables on vertical suspenders. The first modern examples of this type of bridge were built in the early 1800s. Simple suspension bridg ...

that spanned the

Lempa River The Lempa River () is a river in Central America. It is a transboundary river shared by El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Geography Its sources are located in between the Sierra Madre and the Sierra del Merendón mountain ranges in southern ...

in El Salvador. The connected the

departments Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military * Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of San Vicente and

Usulután Usulután () is the fifth largest city in El Salvador, and capital of the Usulután Department in the south-east of El Salvador. As of 2006, it is estimated to have population of 71,636 people. Usulután rests in a rich agricultural valley and ...

. It opened in 1942 and it closed in 1984 when it was bombed and destroyed by the

Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (, abbreviated FMLN) is a Salvadoran political party and former guerrilla rebel group. The FMLN was formed as an umbrella group on 10 October 1980, from five leftist guerrilla organizations; ...

(FMLN) during the

Salvadoran Civil War The Salvadoran Civil War () was a twelve-year civil war in El Salvador that was fought between the government of El Salvador, backed by the United States, and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), a coalition of left-wing guer ...

Design

The Cuscatlán Bridge was long, and its main span crossing the

was long. The

had 64 suspension cables each measuring in diameter. The base of the bridge's pillars were constructed of volcanic ash and stones.

History

Construction of the Cuscatlán Bridge began in June 1940. The bridge was inaugurated by Salvadoran president

Maximiliano Hernández Martínez Maximiliano Hernández Martínez (21 October 1882 – 15 May 1966) was a Salvadoran military officer and politician who served as president of El Salvador from 4 December 1931 to 28 August 1934 in a provisional capacity and again in an offi ...

on 6 June 1942 and construction cost 3.1 million colones. Upon its opening, the Cuscatlán Bridge was the largest in Central America. It carried part of the

Pan-American Highway The Pan-American Highway is a vast network of roads that stretches about 30,000 kilometers (about 19,000 miles) from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in the northernmost part of North America to Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southern tip of South America. I ...

. The bridge connected the departments of San Vicente and

. Cars passing the bridge paid a 1 colón toll; trucks paid a 2.5 colón toll.

Destruction

At 2:30 a.m. on 1 January 1984, militants of the

(FMLN) bombed and destroyed the Cuscatlán Bridge. The bombing killed two army lieutenants and multiple soldiers. The bridge left eastern El Salvador isolated from the rest of the country and the bombing was one of the FMLN's most important victories of the

. It was the last bridge spanning the Lempa River after the FMLN bombed the Golden Bridge on 15 October 1981. On 3 January 1984, the Ministry of Public Works announced that it would build a temporary

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

across the Lempa River to reestablish a river crossing. The ford was built downstream of the destroyed bridge.

Reconstruction

The Salvadoran government rebuilt the Cuscatlán Bridge with the assistance of Japan in 1998. The reconstruction cost US$9 million (188 million colones).

References

{{Authority control 1942 establishments in El Salvador 1980s disestablishments in El Salvador Bridges completed in 1942 Bridges in El Salvador Demolished buildings and structures in El Salvador Suspension bridges Terrorism in El Salvador Transport buildings and structures in El Salvador

Design

History

Destruction

Reconstruction

See also

References