The Libertador General San Martín Bridge () is a

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is unsupported at 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 cantilev ...

road bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

that crosses the

Uruguay River The Uruguay River ( ; ) 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 Mesopotamia from the other two countr ...

and joins

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

and

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

. It runs between Puerto Unzué, near Gualeguaychú,

Entre Ríos Province Entre Ríos (, "Between Rivers") is a Center Region, Argentina, central provinces of Argentina, province of Argentina, located in the Mesopotamia, Argentina, Mesopotamia region. It borders the provinces of Buenos Aires Province, Buenos Aires (so ...

, Argentina, and Fray Bentos,

Río Negro Department Río Negro Department (, ) is a department of the northwestern region of Uruguay. It has an area of and a population of 57,334. Its capital is Fray Bentos. It borders Paysandú Department to the north, Tacuarembó Department to the east, Durazno ...

, Uruguay, with a total length of ( in Argentine jurisdiction and in Uruguayan territory), including the bridge and accesses embankments. 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), nicknamed "the Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru", was an Argentine general and the primary leader of the southern and central parts of South America's succe ...

, 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 regime.

References

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