Mezcala Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mezcala Bridge |
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Mezcala Bridge
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| Coordinates | 17°56′13″N 99°22′09″W / 17.936832°N 99.369256°W |
| Carries | Mexican Federal Highway 95D from Cuernavaca to Acapulco |
| Crosses | Mezcala River (also called the Balsas River) |
| Locale | Eduardo Neri / Tepecoacuilco de Trujano, Guerrero, Mexico |
| Official name | Mezcala Bridge |
| Other name(s) | Mezcala Solidaridad |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cable-stayed bridge |
| Total length | 891 m (2,923 ft) |
| Longest span | Six uneven spans with max span of 313 metres (1,027 ft) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1993 |
The Mezcala Bridge (also known as the Mezcala-Solidaridad Bridge) is a huge cable-stayed bridge in Guerrero, Mexico. It's part of Highway 95D and crosses the Balsas River, which is also called the Mezcala River. This amazing bridge is 891 m (2,923 ft) long and has six different-sized sections. It was finished in 1993 and opened for traffic in 1994 as a toll bridge, meaning you pay to cross it.
When it first opened in 1993, the Mezcala Bridge was the tallest bridge in the world! It held this record until 1998 when the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge opened in Japan. It was also the highest bridge in Mexico and the second highest multi-cable-stayed bridge ever built at that time.
The Mezcala Bridge was built as part of a big plan in Mexico between 1989 and 1994 to improve highways. It helped make the drive on Highway 95 between Cuernavaca and Acapulco much shorter, saving about 49 km.
In March 2007, there was a fire on the bridge. A truck carrying coconuts crashed into two school buses, causing a fire in one of the bridge's cable systems. The bridge was partly closed while the damaged cable was replaced.
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Why Was the Mezcala Bridge Built?
In Mexico, a new national highway plan started between 1989 and 1994. The goal was to make the "Cuernavaca - Acapulco" highway, also known as the "Route of the Sun," faster and shorter. The new route was planned to be 263 km (163 mi) long. This cut down the distance by 49 km (30 mi) between Cuernavaca and Acapulco. It also made the travel time between México City and the port of Acapulco much quicker, about 3.5 hours.
However, this new route needed to cross the Balsas River (also called the Mezcala River). At the chosen spot, about 150 km (93 mi) from Cuernavaca, the river was very wide, between 800–1,000 m (2,600–3,300 ft) from bank to bank. The hills on both sides were also very steep. So, engineers designed the Mezcala Bridge to cross high over the river. This is why it's sometimes called the "Mezcala-Solidaridad" bridge.
In 2010, Mexico celebrated its 200th birthday as an independent nation. Many roads were named "Ruta 2010" to remember important historical journeys. Highway 95, which includes the Mezcala Bridge, was part of "The Sentiments of the Nation Route." This route honored a military journey led by José María Morelos, a hero in Mexico's fight for independence.
How Was the Mezcala Bridge Designed?
The Mezcala Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge. This means its main deck is supported by many strong cables that connect to tall towers. This bridge has four main sections held up by three towers. The middle tower is the tallest, standing 173 m (568 ft) high!
A Mexican engineer named Modesto Armijo from the company "COMEC SA" came up with the main idea for the bridge's design. He worked for the Mexican government's Secretariat of Communications and Transportation. Modesto Armijo and Alain Chauvin also did the detailed engineering plans. Another company, EEG Europe Etudes Gecti, checked their designs, and Freyssinet International provided the strong cables.
Engineers used special computer programs to figure out how the bridge would handle strong winds and earthquakes. They even tested a model of the bridge deck in a lab to see how wind would affect it. This careful planning was important because the area can have earthquakes.
The valley the bridge crosses is about 160 m (520 ft) deep. The bridge has six sections of different lengths: 42 m (138 ft), 69 m (226 ft), 86 m (282 ft), 301 m (988 ft), 313 m (1,027 ft), and 80 m (260 ft). All these sections add up to the total length of 891 m (2,923 ft).
What Materials Were Used?
The Mezcala Bridge uses H-shaped towers to hold its cables in a semi-fan pattern. The towers (called piers) are made of strong reinforced concrete. The main parts of the bridge deck and the cables themselves are made of steel. Concrete towers supported by cables were chosen because the area is prone to earthquakes.
What Happened During the 2007 Fire?
On March 17, 2007, there was an accident on the Mezcala Bridge. A truck carrying coconuts crashed into two school buses in the middle section of the bridge. This caused a fire that damaged one of the bridge's support cables and slightly harmed another nearby cable.
The bridge was temporarily closed to traffic. Engineers quickly replaced the damaged cable. Traffic was partly allowed back on the bridge even while the replacement work was happening. Experts later studied the fire. They found that the plastic covering (called HDPE sheathing) on the cables, which is made of a material similar to oil, was not very fire-resistant. It caught fire easily and made the blaze worse, causing one cable to snap.
This event made bridge designers think about how to make large bridges even safer. They wondered if the bridge would have survived if two or three cables had been lost. They also considered if a lightning strike could cause a similar fire. Engineers are always learning from events like this to make sure bridges are as strong and safe as possible for everyone who uses them.
See also
In Spanish: Puente Mezcala Solidaridad para niños
- List of tallest bridges in the world
