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Juan Pablo II Bridge
The Juan Pablo II Bridge, also known as "Puente Nuevo (New Bridge)", is a major bridge in Chile, located in The Greater Concepcion, the second largest metropolis (conurbation) in Chile (With Santiago being the largest).
This bridge was finished in 1974 as the longest bridge in the country (and still it is), and connects 3 of the 10 districts of the metropolis, Concepcion and Talcahuano with "San Pedro de la Paz", through the Bio Bio River (second longest river of Chile).
Structure
This Bridge was designed by E.W.H. Gifford & Partners from England. It is 2.310 m. (7.578 ft.) length. It is formed by 70 parts of 33 m. each one and with a width of 21.9 m. (including 2 passerby corridors of 1.6 m.)
The Name
When it was finished in 1974, this bridge had no name, but it was called by people as "Puente Nuevo" (The New Bridge), because it was the second bridge across the Bio-Bio River after "Puente Viejo" (Old Bridge), actually closed to the cars traffic. In 1987, Pope John Paul II visited Chile and Concepcion, and the bridge, as a tribute, was named "Juan Pablo II" (John Paul II).
Social Impact
This was a major impact for the society of Concepcion, since it had better quality compared with "Puente Viejo", which was deeply injured by the biggest earthquake in Human History (Concepcion-Valdivia in 1960). And it is shown by a fact, the population of San Pedro de la Paz was increased three times in just a few years, becoming this district in a place full of houses and buildings
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Juan Pablo II Bridge
