Rio-Niterói Bridge
Encyclopedia
President Costa e Silva Bridge, commonly known as the Rio-Niteroi Bridge, is a box girder bridge
located at Guanabara Bay
, in the State of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. It connects the cities of Rio de Janeiro
and the municipality of Niterói
. It is currently the longest prestressed concrete
bridge in the southern hemisphere
, and the sixth longest in the world. From its completion in 1974 until 1985 it was the world's second-longest bridge, second only to Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
.
In 1963 a working group was created to study a bridge-building project. On December 29, 1965, an executive committee was formed to take care of the final project of building a bridge.
The President Costa e Silva signed a decree on August 23 of 1968 Authorizing the project for the bridge, designed by Mario Andreazza Then Minister of Transport, under the management of whom the bridge was begun and completed.
Construction began symbolically on August 23, 1968, with the presence of Queen Elizabeth II
of the United Kingdom
and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
, in their first and thus far only visit to Brazil, next to the minister Mario Andreazza. Actual work began in January, 1969, and it opened on March 4, 1974.
Its official name is the President Costa e Silva Bridge, in honor of the Brazilian President, Artur da Costa e Silva
, who ordered its construction. "Rio-Niterói" started as a descriptive nickname that soon became better known than the official name. Today, hardly anyone refers to it by its official name.
The bridge was constructed by a pool of Brazilian construction firms. It is 13,290 m (8.25 mi) long – 8,836 m (5.49 miles) over water and the bridge's central span is 72 m (236.22 ft) high in order to allow the passage of hundreds of ships entering and leaving the bay every month. It carries140,000 vehicles daily, which pay a toll only when entering Niterói
of 4.60 Brazilian real
, about US$2.60 or €1.90. It has 18 access points and eight overpasses.
Officially it is part of federal highway BR-101
. Since June 1, 1995, it has been under the management of Ponte S.A., under a 20-year concession.
In the 2011 film, Fast Five, the Rio Niterio was featured in the film. The Puerto Rican bridge, Teodoro Moscoso, doubled for the bridge during the last moments of the film. Gal Gadot
rode over this bridge on a bike in Fast Five.
Box girder bridge
A box girder bridge is a bridge in which the main beams comprise girders in the shape of a hollow box. The box girder normally comprises either prestressed concrete, structural steel, or a composite of steel and reinforced concrete. The box is typically rectangular or trapezoidal in cross-section...
located at Guanabara Bay
Guanabara Bay
Guanabara Bay is an oceanic bay located in southeastern Brazil in the state of Rio de Janeiro. On its western shore lies the city of Rio de Janeiro, and on its eastern shore the cities of Niterói and São Gonçalo. Four other municipalities surround the bay's shores...
, in the State of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. It connects the cities of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
and the municipality of Niterói
Niterói
Niterói is a municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeast region of Brazil. It has an estimated population of 487,327 inhabitants and an area of ², being the sixth most populous city in the state and the highest Human Development Index. Integrates the Metropolitan Region of Rio de...
. It is currently the longest prestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete
Prestressed concrete is a method for overcoming concrete's natural weakness in tension. It can be used to produce beams, floors or bridges with a longer span than is practical with ordinary reinforced concrete...
bridge in the southern hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
, and the sixth longest in the world. From its completion in 1974 until 1985 it was the world's second-longest bridge, second only to Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
Lake Pontchartrain Causeway
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, or the Causeway, consists of two parallel bridges crossing Lake Pontchartrain in southern Louisiana, United States. The longer of the two bridges is long...
.
History
The concept of its design dates back to 1875. In order to connect the two neighbouring towns, separated by the Guanabara Bay or an inland journey of more than 100 kilometres (62.1 mi), passing through the city of Mage. At the time it was intended to build a bridge and subsequently a tunnel.In 1963 a working group was created to study a bridge-building project. On December 29, 1965, an executive committee was formed to take care of the final project of building a bridge.
The President Costa e Silva signed a decree on August 23 of 1968 Authorizing the project for the bridge, designed by Mario Andreazza Then Minister of Transport, under the management of whom the bridge was begun and completed.
Construction began symbolically on August 23, 1968, with the presence of Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
, in their first and thus far only visit to Brazil, next to the minister Mario Andreazza. Actual work began in January, 1969, and it opened on March 4, 1974.
Its official name is the President Costa e Silva Bridge, in honor of the Brazilian President, Artur da Costa e Silva
Artur da Costa e Silva
Artur da Costa e Silva was a Brazilian Army General, the second President of Brazil during the military regime set up by the 1964 coup d'état; he was born only a month before the coup that overthrow Dom Pedro II. He was married to Iolanda Barbosa Costa e Silva, the daughter of a soldier...
, who ordered its construction. "Rio-Niterói" started as a descriptive nickname that soon became better known than the official name. Today, hardly anyone refers to it by its official name.
The bridge was constructed by a pool of Brazilian construction firms. It is 13,290 m (8.25 mi) long – 8,836 m (5.49 miles) over water and the bridge's central span is 72 m (236.22 ft) high in order to allow the passage of hundreds of ships entering and leaving the bay every month. It carries140,000 vehicles daily, which pay a toll only when entering Niterói
Niterói
Niterói is a municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro, southeast region of Brazil. It has an estimated population of 487,327 inhabitants and an area of ², being the sixth most populous city in the state and the highest Human Development Index. Integrates the Metropolitan Region of Rio de...
of 4.60 Brazilian real
Brazilian real
The real is the present-day currency of Brazil. Its sign is R$ and its ISO code is BRL. It is subdivided into 100 centavos ....
, about US$2.60 or €1.90. It has 18 access points and eight overpasses.
Officially it is part of federal highway BR-101
BR-101
The BR-101 is a longitudinal highway of Brazil. It is the longest in the country with a length of nearly , and it is also considered the most important....
. Since June 1, 1995, it has been under the management of Ponte S.A., under a 20-year concession.
In the 2011 film, Fast Five, the Rio Niterio was featured in the film. The Puerto Rican bridge, Teodoro Moscoso, doubled for the bridge during the last moments of the film. Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot is an Israeli actress and model. She won the Miss Israel title in 2004 and went on to represent Israel at the 2004 Miss Universe beauty pageant...
rode over this bridge on a bike in Fast Five.
External links
- Official website with live feed from the bridge's surveillance cameras: Ponte S.A. homepage
- Satellite picture by Google Maps
- Photo Gallery driving over the bridge