Manatí Bridge at Mata de Plátano

Manatí Bridge at Mata de Plátano, also known as Puente Juan José Jiménez and listed as Bridge #321 in Puerto Rico's bridge inventory, was built in 1905 in Hato Viejo, Ciales, Puerto Rico. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.[1][2]

Manatí Bridge at Mata de Plátano
Locator map
Locator map
Manatí Bridge at Mata de Plátano
Location of the bridge in Puerto Rico
LocationHighway 6685, km 9.7
Hato Viejo, Ciales municipality, Puerto Rico
Coordinates18°21′32″N 66°28′45″W
Built1905
ArchitectLuis Ninlliat
Architectural styledouble intersection Pratt
MPSHistoric Bridges of Puerto Rico MPS
NRHP reference No.95000847[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 19, 1995

It was the first truss bridge built in Puerto Rico under the administration of the United States (1898–1900) after the Spanish–American War.

The bridge spans 80 metres (260 ft) above the Río Grande de Manatí.[3] For Puerto Rico, the span is high, 44 feet (13 m) above the river, "above a spectacular curving canyon of vertical walls traversed by the Manati River". It is a rare type of bridge: a steel double intersection Pratt truss, above a concrete substructure, and is the only such highway bridge in Puerto Rico. Its a 3.8 metres (12 ft) wide, one-lane road.[4] The bridge is visited by tourists.[5]

At least 10 railway bridges used the double intersection Pratt truss design, in the French-owned railway that was built during 1890-93 between San Juan and Ponce. Only Cambalache Bridge, across the Arecibo River, survived, as of 1994. The rest were dismantled and sold to cover a bankruptcy by the railroad company that owned them.[6]: 16 

It was remodeled in 2010.[7]

Residents complain when the bridge is closed because it is the only direct access from Manatí to Ciales when the bridge from Morovis to Ciales is inaccessible.[8][9]

In 2018, $6.8 million dollars were earmarked by the US Federal Highway Administration for repairs to the bridge.[9]

Views of the canyon and Río Grande de Manatí from Manatí Bridge at Mata de Plátano:

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands Division". U.S. Federal Highway Administration. Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  3. Puerto Rico. Dept. of the Interior (1929). Report of the commissioner of the interior for Porto Rico to the Secretary of the Interior USA. p. 47. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  4. "Manatí Bridge at Mata de Plátano". National Park Service. July 31, 1994. Retrieved 2016-05-18. with 2 photos from 1989-93
  5. Cruz Ríos, Melissa (2018-09-22). "Ciales listo para el turismo". El Vocero de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  6. Luis F. Pumarada O'Neill (July 31, 1994). "Historic Bridges of Puerto Rico, c. 1840 - 1950". National Park Service. p. 10. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  7. "Puerta de la Cordillera Central". GoToCiales.com. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  8. Cruz Rí, Melissa (2020-11-21). "Te veo en Ciales..." El Vocero de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  9. Rivera Clemente, Yaritza (2018-08-03). "Piden en Ciales la reapertura del puente Mata de Plátano". El Vocero de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-04-09.
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