The longest concrete bridge in the world
Maracaibo is a port on Lago de Maracaibo (Lake Maracaibo) in the north west of Venezuela. Between 1958 and 1962, Wayss & Freytag built the longest prestressed concrete bridge in the world over Maracaibo Bay in a joint venture. The bridge was designed by the Roman engineer Riccardo Morandi. The motorway bridge, officially called „Puente General Rafael Urdaneta“, was opened to traffic on August 24, 1962.
The bridge is 8,272 m long and spans a total of 135 panels, the largest spans of the main bridge being 235 m long. The 5 m high and 17.40 m wide superstructure is at a clear height of 50 m above sea level. The load bearing system throughout the five main panels is a cable-stayed bridge, the steel ropes of which are run through 92.50 m high pylons.
For the foundation of the bridge piers, 62 large bored piles, each 50 m long, were driven into the ground. It was possible to win the French engineer Jean Kérisel (1908 – 2005), one of the most famous experts for soil mechanics, as a consultant for the foundation works.