Presidencia de la República

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Megaworks V: The Baluarte Bridge

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Raúl Flores Macías

21 Jul 2011

This is the highest suspension bridge in Latin America and the third highest in the world, with 152 steel suspenders. The emblematic, 324 m-high Eiffel Tower would fit in the canyon on which it is built.

The Baluarte Bridge, on the Durango-Mazatlán highway, overcomes the challenge and adversity of crossing the intricate Sierra Madre Occidental.

The bridge is located in the Sierra del Espinazo del Diablo, at the point where the highway meets the Baluarte River. It forms part of one of the most ambitious projects in this administration, the Durango-Mazatlán highway, enabling traffic to link up with the north until it connects the Pacific with the Atlantic. This highway, which forms part of the Mazatlán-Matamoros highway axis, will reduce travel time between the two cities by approximately six hours. This in turn will improve the standards of living of families in the region and promote commercial and tourist development in the zone, by encouraging the use and development of the port of Mazatlán and promoting tourism on the coast of Sinaloa.

The total length of the bridge is 1,124 m, with a central clearing of 520 m and four lanes suspended at a height of 390 meters.

Total investment was 2.035 billion pesos, equivalent to the annual budget for the entire state of Durango.
Megaworks such as the Baluarte Bridge meet the challenge of providing more and better road links for the country. They also brings people closer to their destinations, which will facilitate trade and enable Mexico to take advantage of its privileged geographical position through improved infrastructure and logistic capacity.

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