Manatí Bridge at Mata de Plátano, also known as Puente Juan José Jiménez and listed as Bridge #321 in
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
's bridge inventory, was built in 1905 in
Hato Viejo, Ciales, Puerto Rico. It was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1995 and on the
Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones
The Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Registro Nacional de Sitios y Zonas Históricas'') is a Government of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican government program adopted by the state Puerto Rico Planning Board, ...
in 2001.
It was the first truss bridge built in Puerto Rico under the administration of the United States (1898–1900) after the Spanish–American War
The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...
.
The bridge spans above the Río Grande de Manatí
The Manatí River (Spanish: Río Grande de Manatí) is a river in Puerto Rico, which flows through several northern municipalities of the island. The river is named after the municipality of Manatí where the river mouth is located.
Description ...
. For Puerto Rico, the span is high, above the river, "above a spectacular curving canyon of vertical walls traversed by the Manati River". It is a rare type of bridge: a steel double intersection Pratt truss
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
, above a concrete substructure, and is the only such highway bridge in Puerto Rico. Its a wide, one-lane road.[ with ] The bridge is visited by tourists.
At least 10 railway bridges used the double intersection Pratt truss design, in the French-owned railway that was built during 1890-93 between San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to:
* San Juan, Puerto Rico
* San Juan, Argentina
* San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines
San Juan may also refer to:
Places Arge ...
and Ponce. Only Cambalache Bridge, across the Arecibo River, survived, as of 1994. The rest were dismantled and sold to cover a bankruptcy by the railroad company that owned them.
It was remodeled in 2010.
Residents complain when the bridge is closed because it is the only direct access from Manatí to Ciales when the bridge from Morovis to Ciales is inaccessible.
In 2018, $6.8 million dollars were earmarked by the US Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...
for repairs to the bridge.
Gallery
Views of the canyon and Río Grande de Manatí from Manatí Bridge at Mata de Plátano:
Río Grande de Manatí from Manatí Bridge at Mata de Plátano 08.jpg
Río Grande de Manatí from Manatí Bridge at Mata de Plátano 06.jpg
Manatí Bridge at Mata de Plátano, Ciales, Puerto Rico, river and canyon.jpg
Manatí Bridge at Mata de Plátano in Ciales, Puerto Rico.jpg
References
External links
Digital Assets 95000847 on NRHP
* , National Register of Historic Places cover documentation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manati Bridge at Mata de Platano
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico
Bridges completed in 1905
Steel bridges in the United States
Concrete bridges in the United States
1905 establishments in Puerto Rico
Ciales, Puerto Rico
Pratt truss bridges