The Ponte Rio Negro crosses the mighty Rio Negro over a length of a good 3km, making it one of the largest bridges in Brazil. Besides the Opera House, the Ponte Rio Negro is the second important architectural monument of the Amazon capital Manaus.
The Ponte Rio Negro, also called the Manaus-Iranduba Bridge, is located near the Brazilian city of Manaus in the state of Amazonas.
The massive bridge crosses the mighty Rio Negro 11km before it flows into the Amazon. It connects the capital of Amazonas with the municipality of Iranduba in the Amazon jungle. As the only bridge over the Brazilian part of the Rio Negro and one of the largest cable-stayed bridges in Brazil, it is one of our top 10 sights in Manaus.
The impressive Rio Negro has an incredible width of 20km before the site of the Ponte Rio Negro. Afterwards, however, it narrows to a width of only 2.7km and can thus be crossed by car within 5 minutes via the three-and-a-half-kilometre-long Ponte Rio Negro. Previously, the journey across the Rio Negro by ferry took half an hour and was subject to a charge.
Construction of the Ponte Rio Negro near Manaus
Construction of the Ponte Rio Negro began in 2008 under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the bridge should have been completed in 2010. However, legal disputes and bad weather delayed the completion date by one year. The official inauguration of the Ponte Rio Negro took place on 24 October 2011 by then President Dilma Rousseff. In terms of cost per metre, the Ponte Rio Negro is the most expensive bridge in all of Brazil.
About 20 metres wide, the Manaus-Iranduba Bridge comprises four lanes plus pedestrian and cycle paths in both directions and is part of the AM-070 motorway, also called Rodovia Manuel Urbano. Even huge ocean liners can pass unhindered under the Ponte Rio Negro.
The Ponte Rio Negro was one of the largest projects in the state of Amazonas to connect the remote jungle areas to infrastructure. Like many road construction projects, it was criticised by environmentalists. The Brazilian government now also pays attention to the preservation of the priceless Brazilian rainforest when implementing construction projects.
The Ponte Rio Negro in numbers
| Length: | 3,595 metres |
| Height of the lane: | 55 to 70 metres (depending on water level) |
| Width: | 22.6 metres |
| Distance between the suspension ropes: | 400 metres |
| Number of suspension ropes: | 56 |
| Number of pillars: | 74 |
| Height of the highest pillar: | 187 metres |
| Costs: | 470 million euros |
