Bridges serve as safe passage over rivers or streams and, in most cases, remain where they were built for decades. However, the channels can change over time and, on rare occasions, disappear or move. This modification can transform a useful work into an isolated structure, suspended above dry land previously covered by water.
Such changes do not always respond to gradual erosion, but to sudden changes in terrain or extreme weather events which force the water to find a new path. Under these circumstances, a bridge that originally connected opposing banks can become a monument to the unpredictable force of nature.
Construction in southern Honduras weathered the storm, but remained functionless
He Choluteca Bridgelocated in southern Honduras, clearly represents this paradox. In 1998, the work resisted the passage of Hurricane Mitch without suffering structural damage, but the the bed of the river which was to be crossed was diverted. The current carved a new path and the bridge, designed to withstand intense winds and rains, was left without water under its piers. For months it hung above solid ground, a solid bridge that no longer connected anything.
The diversion of Choluteca River was the result of a river avulsion, phenomenon that occurs when an extreme flood breaks the banks of the canal and the water penetrates lower lands. Mitch’s torrential rains caused a huge increase in flow and, by carrying away sediment, the the river was looking for a shortcut through a nearby depression. The old bed was left dry and the main flow moved to the side, leaving the bridge in the middle of a currentless area. At first glance it seemed that the river had disappeared, although in reality it continued to flow, but along a different route.
The modern structure, also known as Rising Sun Bridgewas built between 1996 and 1998 by Japanese engineers. With a length of 484 meters and beams supported by concrete piles, it was one of the largest infrastructure works in the country. Its construction was part of a plan to modernize the road network and divert the heavy traffic of the Pan-American Highway from the urban area of Choluteca. The calculations and materials used met the standards ready to withstand hurricaneswhich explains why the bridge held up without problem when others collapsed.
The reconstruction restored the use of the passage and separated the functions between the two structures
In October 1998, Hurricane Mitch hit Honduras, bringing months of rain in just a few days. Landslides and floods have destroyed roads and bridges across much of the country. The new Choluteca bridge remained almost intact, but the access roads were destroyed and the landscape has changed radically. The force of the water transformed the course of the river, leaving the structure isolated, while the old bridges sank or disappeared.
Over the years, the country has rebuilt the road network and approaches have been redesigned to restore the bridge’s functionality. The work made it possible to reintegrate it into the transport system of southern Honduras. He old Carías bridgerestored, was intended for local traffic and tourist use, while the modern one resumed its main role of passage on the Pan-American Highway.
The resort is located in the town of Choluteca, an area prone to tropical storms. The old bridge, built in the 1930s by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was for decades a symbol of national development. After the 1998 disaster, the two bridges had different functions. Today, they represent two eras of Honduran engineering and prove that even the best-designed works can be left behind when nature decides.
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