The Juan Pablo II Bridge, also known as Puente Nuevo ("New Bridge"), is a bridge in Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

 connecting Concepción

Concepción, Chile

Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Biobío Region or Region VIII. Greater Concepción is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants...

 and Talcahuano

Talcahuano

Talcahuano is a port city and commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is part of the Greater Concepción conurbation. Talcahuano is located in the south of the Central Zone of Chile.-Geography:...

 with San Pedro de la Paz

San Pedro de la Paz

San Pedro de la Paz is a Chilean city and commune located in the Concepción Province, Biobío Region. It has some 80,447 inhabitants according to the 2002 national census. In 2005, the Pedro Aguirre Cerda avenue, the main avenue in the city, was completed. Most of the inhabitants of this comuna...

, through the Biobío River. Since completion in 1974 it has remained the longest bridge in the country. It was significantly damaged in the February 27, 2010 earthquake.

Structure

The bridge was designed by E.W.H. Gifford & Partners

Gifford (company)

Gifford is part of the Ramboll Group, providing engineering consultancy, design, planning, project management and consulting services for buildings, infrastructure and the environment.- History :...

 from England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is 2.310 m. (7.578 ft) in length. It is formed by 70 parts of 33 m. each one and with a width of 21.9 m. (including 2 passerby corridors of 1.6 m.)

Naming

When the bridge was finished in 1974, it had no official name,. People began calling it "Puente Nuevo" ("New Bridge"), as it was the second bridge across the Biobío River after "Puente Viejo" ("Old Bridge"), now closed. When Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II

Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

visited Concepción the bridge was named after him as a tribute.