Puente Río Portugués facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Puente Río Portugués
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The bridge in 2017, looking south-southeast
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| Location | Ave. Hostos, km 3.9 Bo. Playa, Ponce, PR |
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| Area | 1,140 m2 (12,300 sq ft) |
| MPS | Historic Bridges of Puerto Rico MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 14001134 |
| Added to NRHP | 6 January 2015 |
| Puente Río Portugués | |
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| Coordinates | 17°59′36″N 66°36′55″W / 17.99333°N 66.61528°W |
| Crosses | Río Portugués |
| Locale | Bo. Playa, Ponce, Puerto Rico |
| Other name(s) | Bridge 0145 |
| Maintained by | Ponce Dept of Public Works |
| Preceded by | Puente Alfonso XII(1876-1899) Ponce Electric Co.(1899-1933) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Art Deco |
| Total length | 249 feet (76 m) |
| Width | 49 feet (15 m) |
| History | |
| Designer | Rafael Nones |
| Engineering design by | René Esteves |
| Constructed by | Victor A. Auffant |
| Construction cost | $48,484 ($1.1 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Opened | 1933 |
| Replaces | Puente Ponce Electric Co. |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 8,000 |
| Toll | No |
The Puente Río Portugués is a special bridge in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It crosses where the Río Portugués river used to flow. This bridge was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2015. It's important because it's the oldest bridge of its kind built on the historic Carretera Central road. You can find it on Avenida Hostos.
History of the Bridge
The idea for a bridge here started a long time ago. In 1852, a newspaper in Ponce suggested building one. By 1856, the city of Ponce began to plan for it. They wanted to know how much it would cost.
In 1857, a builder named Juan Bertoli Calderoni won the job. He offered to build it for 12,400 pesos. This first bridge was called Principe de Asturias Bridge. It opened in 1862. But just two years later, in 1864, big floods washed it away.
A new bridge was brought from France in 1876. It was made of metal and named Alfonso XII. This bridge lasted for 23 years. However, in 1899, a very strong storm called Hurricane San Ciriaco hit. The rising river waters knocked this metal bridge down too.
Interestingly, the French bridge was found again in 1914. It was moved and set up near Yauco. There, it crossed the Rio Duey and was used until 1991. Today, you can still see it in a park in Yauco.
The bridge we see today, Puente Rio Portugues, was opened in 1933. This was 34 years after the big hurricane. A metal sign on the bridge tells us who the governor and other leaders were at that time. It cost about $48,484 to build.
Bridge Design and Look
The Puente Río Portugués has a cool design style called Art Deco. This style was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. It often uses bold shapes and decorative patterns.
The bridge is built with strong materials. It has steel beams and reinforced concrete. This means concrete with steel bars inside to make it extra strong. It also uses cast iron. Rafael Nones, from the Puerto Rico Department of the Interior, was the person who designed this bridge.
Images for kids
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Lamppost on Puente Río Portugués
