Cuscatlán Bridge (1942)

Cuscatlán Bridge Puente Cuscatlán
President Maximiliano Hernández Martínez at the inauguration of the Cuscatlán Bridge
Coordinates	13°37′02″N 88°33′54″W
Carried	Pan-American Highway
Crossed	Lempa River
Locale	Condadillo, Estanzuelas El Quebracho, San Ildefonso
Characteristics
Design	Suspension bridge
Material	Volcanic ash, stone
Total length	1,350 feet (410 m)
Longest span	820 feet (250 m)
History
Inaugurated	6 June 1942
Collapsed	1 January 1984
Replaced by	Cuscatlán Bridge
Location

The Cuscatlán Bridge (Spanish: Puente Cuscatlán) was a suspension bridge that spanned the Lempa River in El Salvador. The connected the departments of San Vicente and Usulután. It opened in 1942 and it closed in 1984 when it was bombed and destroyed by the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) during the Salvadoran Civil War.

Design

The Cuscatlán Bridge was 1,350 feet (410 m) long, and its main span crossing the Lempa River was 820 feet (250 m) long. The suspension bridge had 64 suspension cables each measuring 16 inches (41 cm) in diameter.[1] The base of the bridge's pillars were constructed of volcanic ash and stones.[2]: 381 

History

Construction of the Cuscatlán Bridge began in June 1940. The bridge was inaugurated by Salvadoran president Maximiliano Hernández Martínez on 6 June 1942[3] and construction cost 3.1 million colones.[1] Upon its opening, the Cuscatlán Bridge was the largest in Central America. It carried part of the Pan-American Highway.[2]: 381  The bridge connected the departments of San Vicente and Usulután.[4] Cars passing the bridge paid a 1 colón toll; trucks paid a 2.5 colón toll.[1]

Destruction

Ruins of the Cuscatlán Bridge as seen from the west end

At 2:30 a.m. on 1 January 1984, militants of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) bombed and destroyed the Cuscatlán Bridge. The bombing killed two army lieutenants and multiple soldiers. The bridge left eastern El Salvador isolated from the rest of the country and the bombing was one of the FMLN's most important victories of the Salvadoran Civil War.[3] It was the last bridge spanning the Lempa River after the FMLN bombed the Golden Bridge on 15 October 1981.[1][3]

On 3 January 1984, the Ministry of Public Works announced that it would build a temporary ford across the Lempa River to reestablish a river crossing.[5] The ford was built 500 feet (150 m) downstream of the destroyed bridge.[3]

Reconstruction

The Salvadoran government rebuilt the Cuscatlán Bridge with the assistance of Japan in 1998. The reconstruction cost US$9 million (188 million colones).[6]

See also

• List of bridge failures

References

1. "₡‎3.1 Millones y 2 Años Labor Costo de Puente" [Bridge Cost ₡‎3.1 Million and 2 Years of Labor] (PDF). El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). 3 January 1984. p. 4. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
2. "The Cuscatlan Bridge in El Salvador". Nature. 152 (3857): 381–382. 2 October 1943. Bibcode:1943Natur.152S.381.. doi:10.1038/152381c0. S2CID 4073974.
3. Erazo, Ronald (24 June 2024). "Puente Cuscatlán, Un Símbolo de Progreso en El Salvador que fue Derribado con Carga Explosiva Durante el Conflicto Armado" [The Cuscatlán Bridge, a Symbol of Progress in El Salvador that was Destroyed with Explosive Charges During the Armed Conflict]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 December 2024.
4. "El Puente Cuscatlán fue Derribado un Día Como Hoy en 1984" [The Cuscatlán Bridge Was Toppled on a Day Like Today in 1984]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). 1 January 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
5. "Construyen Nuevo Paso en el Lempa" [They Construct a New Pass in the Lempa] (PDF). La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). 3 January 1984. p. 3. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
6. Giralt, Ana (28 May 1998). "Puente Cuscatlán de Nuevo en Pie" [The Cuscatlán Bridge Stands Again]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 9 August 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2020.