Baluarte Bridge

Ricardo Ordez Gamboa

TheBaluarte Bridgeis acable-stayed bridgein Mexico, located between

the municipalities ofConcordiainSinaloaandPueblo NuevoinDurango,
along theDurangoMazatln highway.

Construction of the bridge began in 2008, it was inaugurated in January

2012 and opened to traffic in late 2013.

It has reduced the travelling time between Durango and Mazatln from
approximately 6 to 2.5 hours.

Structure and construction

The bridge has a total length of 1,124m,with a central cable-stayed

span of 520m.With the road deck at 403mabove the valley below, the
Baluarte Bridge is thehighest cable-stayed bridge in the world, the
third-highest bridge overall and the highest bridge in the Americas.

It is supported by 12 piers, two of which are also pylons (towers). The

base of each of the two pylons measures 18 by 8.56m.

The work was carried out by a consortium that included Tradeco

Infraestructura, IDINSA, Aceros Corey and VSL Mxico,which was
awarded the contract in May 2007 by the SCT. The project manager was
the Engineer Salvador Snchez Nez.

It crosses a gorge in theSierra Madre Occidentalmountains with a

clearance of 390 metres below the deck, substantially taller than
theEiffel Tower.Its clearance is 120 metres (390ft) higher than that of
the previous record-holder, France'sMillau Viaduct.

It is estimated that to January 2012, construction of the bridge used

12,000 tonnes of steel, 90,000 cubic metres of concrete and employed
1,500 workers and engineers.

A cable-stay bridge was selected because of the required length of the

main span to cross the canyon.

The approach spans, which comprise concrete boxes connected by

transverse steel beams, were constructed using the free cantilever
method. The concrete segments were constructed one at a time.

The bridges massive main span comprises steel segments, which were
preassembled and then positioned across the canyon with a lifting
frame. Despite working at such heights, no significant accidents
occurred during construction.

The geotechnical conditions at the site also presented challenges. The

Sierra Madre Occidental contains a great deal of basalt (volcanic rock)
and in some places argil (clay). To reach soil stable enough to bear the
bridges direct footings, approximately 447,000 m3 of rock was
excavated from the site.

Durango Mazatln Highway

The Baluarte Bridge construction is part of an 18 billion peso project to

build a new highway connectingDurangowithMazatlnacross some of
Mexico's most rugged mountains.

The bridge replaces a notoriously dangerous road over the mountains,

which are known locally as "the Devil's Backbone".

The old road was built in the 1940s in terrain so difficult that mules had
to be used to bring in supplies for the construction workers. It is the only
crossing through the mountains for 800 km. The new MazatlnDurango
highway includes 63 tunnels and 32 bridges, eight of which are over 300
metres high.

Inauguration

The Baluarte Bridge was inaugurated

byPresident Caldernon 5 January 2012.
Officials fromGuinness World Recordswere
on hand at the inauguration ceremony to
certify the bridge as the world's highest
cable-stayed bridge.

Its official name as the Baluarte

Bicentennial Bridge refers to the 2010
bicentenary of the Mexican declaration of
independence from Spain at the start of
theMexican War of Independencein 1810.