Leonel Viera Bridge
The Lionel Viera Bridge, also known as Puente de la Barra or Maldonado Bridge, connects Punta del Este and La Barra across the Maldonado Creek in southern Uruguay. It is a concrete stressed-ribbon bridge.
The bridge is 150 meters long and 10 meters wide. The main span is 90 meters, with two shorter spans of 30 meters each, giving three spans in total and two piers in the water.
It was built from 1963 to 1965. It was designed by Lionel Viera, who had no formal training in engineering. A local hotel owner, Martínez, convinced President Eduardo Víctor Haedo to build the bridge to link La Barra with Punta del Este. Before this bridge, two earlier crossings at the same spot failed because of natural disasters.
Viera's construction method was innovative. After placing the main cables, precast concrete tiles were laid to form the initial structure. The cables were prestressed by loading sandbags on the tiles, then the gaps between the tiles were filled with concrete. Removing the sandbags put the structure under compressive stress, increasing stiffness and durability.
In 1998, plans to twin the bridge 20 meters upstream were awarded to engineer Alberto Ponce Delgado. A 1999 study found that the original span needed repairs, which were completed in 2005. The bridge remains a landmark for the local beach communities and for Uruguay.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 05:36 (CET).