The La Novena Viaduct has been inaugurated in the city of Bucaramanga, Colombia, making it the tallest in all of Latin America and the longest in the country.
This unique structure, designed by Mexican engineer Jesús Manso Suárez, is 550.8 meters long, 30 meters wide, and 130 meters high. Construction took 53 months and reached a a budget exceeding 134,000 million pesos (50 million euros). The bridge will connect the city center with the Royal Citadel and the Mutis neighborhood, significantly improving mobility.
It is a cable-stayed structure with a deck supported by two central piers measuring 112 and 132 meters (52 and 72 meters from the foundation to the deck level). The cables are centrally located, which makes it much more visually appealing. The viaduct has 6 lanes and features a central span of nearly 300 meters y It is about as tall as a 40-story building. The decision to use only two supports is because the structure is located in a forest reserve, which ensures minimal environmental impact.
Another requirement the structure had to meet was its seismic resistance, which greatly influenced the type of structure to be built. After studying several solutions, the decision was made to use rigid joints at the pier-deck-tower connections, resulting in a portal frame extended by the lateral spans that rest on the abutments. Furthermore, the viaduct was not designed solely for functional purposes, but also to serve as an aesthetic landmark. It features 7,820 LED lights capable of changing color, creating a beautiful visual spectacle.
