2012: The Inauguration of the Bridge of Knowledge in Rio de Janeiro

February 17, 2012

The first cable-stayed bridge in Rio de Janeiro was officially opened. This 780-meter (2,559.1-foot)-long structure, which was named Ponte do Saber (Portuguese for “Bridge of Knowledge”), carries vehicular traffic across the Canal do Fundão (an artificial estuary created in 1951).

The bridge serves as a connection between the Ilha do Fundão campus of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the southbound part of the Red Line — also known as President João Goulart expressway – that leads to the downtown area of the sixth most populous city in the Americas.

Ponte do Saber was designed by architect Alexandre Chan (born in 1942). This bridge was built as part of a larger project to ensure adequate transportation infrastructure for people traveling to and from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The public officials taking part in the Friday morning inauguration of Ponte do Saber included Eduardo Paes (born in 1969), mayor of Rio de Janeiro.

Photo Credit: Governo do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Divulgaçaõ (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Brazil license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/br/deed.en)

For more information on Ponte do Saber (Bridge of Knowledge), please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponte_do_Saber

Additional information on Alexandre Chan is available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Chan