Plata Bridge Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Plata Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places


Plata Bridge Location in Puerto Rico
Location	Bayamón / Naranjito, Puerto Rico
Built	1908
Built by	American Bridge Co., Groton Bridge Co., Jose Lago
Architectural style	Parker truss
MPS	Historic Bridges of Puerto Rico MPS
NRHP reference No.	95000849
Added to NRHP	July 19, 1995

The Plata Bridge (also known as Puente Plata in Spanish) is an old bridge in Puerto Rico. It was built in 1908 and is also called Bridge #374 or Antiguo Puente Plata. This bridge is special because it was once the only large multi-span truss bridge left in Puerto Rico.

It helped connect towns like Bayamón and Naranjito by crossing the Rio La Plata. It also linked several mountain towns to the main coastal road in northern Puerto Rico.

Building the Bridge
A Historic Landmark
What Happened to the Bridge
Gallery
See also

Building the Bridge

The Plata Bridge is made of two strong steel sections called Parker trusses. Each section is about 42 meters (138 feet) long. These steel parts sit on very tall stone supports, which are about 12 meters (40 feet) high.

A builder named Jose Lago constructed the stone supports. The steel truss parts were made by a company called American Bridge Co.. Another company, Groton Bridge Co., which was part of American Bridge Co., helped put the steel parts in place.

The bridge was one of nine steel bridges built in 1908. They were all paid for by a special fund that raised $1 million for public works in Puerto Rico.

A Historic Landmark

In 1995, the Plata Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important historical places in the United States. When it was added, the area around the bridge still looked much like it did when the bridge was first built. Even though a new, modern bridge was built right next to it, the old bridge was still in good shape and kept its original design and feel.