The Puente de Occidente (Bridge of the West), so named because it is located in western Antioquia,

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, is a suspension bridge that connects the municipalities of Olaya and

Santa Fe de Antioquia Santa Fe de Antioquia is a municipality in the Antioquia Department, Colombia. The city is located approximately north of Medellín, the department capital. It has a population of approximately 23,000 inhabitants. History Founded in 1541 by ...

, east and west of the

Cauca River The Cauca River () is a river in Colombia that lies between the Occidental and Central cordilleras. From its headwaters in southwestern Colombia near the city of Popayán, it joins the Magdalena River near Magangue in Bolivar Department, and th ...

, respectively. At the time it was considered to be the third largest suspension bridge worldwide. The bridge is a single suspension span supported from four pyramidal towers - two on each bank of the river - with each tower anchoring two cables. The span has a main central section which cars and smaller trucks can cross, and two pedestrian paths on either side of the central roadway. All three paths have wood upper surfaces. Construction started in 1887, under the direction of engineer José María Villa , after authorization by Marcelino Vélez, governor of Antioquia. The cables and other steel parts were purchased from England, while the towers were constructed of local materials. The Puente de Occidente was initially open only to pedestrian traffic; later, vehicles were allowed. Puente de occidente en santa fe de antioquia

Puente de occidente en santa fe de antioquia

While today there are other, much longer suspension bridges in

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

, originally the Puente de Occidente was the longest of its kind in the continent. It was declared a National Monument of Colombia on 26 November 1978. José María Villa, who had been born nearby in

Sopetrán Sopetrán is a municipality of Colombia, located in the subregion west of the state of Antioquia, Colombia, Antioquia. It is bounded to the north by the municipality of Olaya (Colombia), Olaya, to the east by the municipality of Belmira, to the s ...

, studied engineering at the

Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely dedicated to mechanical ...

in New Jersey; after finishing his studies in the United States, he participated in the construction of the

Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/ suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River ...

. The structural system of the Puente de Occidente is similar to the suspension/cable-stayed hybrid used in the

. Significant restoration was performed in the early part of 2014.

References

{{Treasures of Colombia Suspension bridges Bridges completed in 1895 Cable-stayed bridges in Colombia Buildings and structures in Antioquia Department National Monuments of Colombia World Heritage Tentative List for Colombia