Baluarte Bridge In Mexico Is World’s Highest Cable-Stayed Bridge

Baluarte Bridge has now broken the record held by the Millau Viaduct of France to become the world’s highest cable-stayed bridge in the world.  The US$146 million project was recently finished with the final concreting work done by none other than Mexico’s president Mr. Felipe Calderon, who inaugurated the bridge. At the inauguration the Guinness officials presented a certificate to officially acknowledge the record.

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Image Courtesy: theconstructionindex.co.uk

The president Mr. Calderon Mexico inaugurates world's highest cable-stayed bridge - BBC News "This project will unite the people of northern Mexico as never before." The bridge is a part of the Mazatlán-Durango highway and will help connect the Pacific and the Atlantic through the north of Mexico. It will also help reduce the time of travel between Mazatlan and Durango by six hours.

The four lane bridge is 20m wide and has 1124m long roadway. It has 390m clearance below the deck and is 120m greater than the clearance of Millau Viaduct. For laying the foundations of the piers, 447,000 cubic meters rock was excavated. The main central span is 520m long. The bridge is so high above the deep ravine below it that the Eiffel tower could pass under it.

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Image Courtesy: ALFREDO GUERRERO/Goverment of Mexico

The bridge built by Tradeco, Idinsa, Corey and VSL will be open to traffic later this year. It will allow the travelers to avoid the Mountain roads which are also known as "the Devil's Backbone". Around 2000 vehicles are expected to use the bridge daily. This feat was celebrated along with the celebrations to mark 200th year of Mexico's Independence from Spain.