The Octavio Frias de Oliveira bridge, commonly known as ''"Ponte Estaiada"'', is a

cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern ...

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

over the

Pinheiros River The Pinheiros River ( pt, Rio Pinheiros) is a most rectified inverted polluted water original sinuous course, today tributary of the Tietê River that runs through the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Until 1920, the river was together the river ''Ju ...

, opened in May 2008. The bridge is tall, and connects Marginal Pinheiros to Jornalista Roberto Marinho Avenue in the south area of the city. It is named after Octavio Frias de Oliveira.

Details

The

bridge deck A deck is the surface of a bridge. A structural element of its superstructure, it may be constructed of concrete, steel, open grating, or wood. Sometimes the deck is covered by a railroad bed and track, asphalt concrete, or other form of ...

is unusual due to its form, which is similar to an "X", crossing at the tower. The "X" is 76 meters wide at its base and 35.4 meters wide at the top. It is the only bridge in the world that has two curved tracks supported by a single concrete mast. The two curved tracks, one at an elevation of 12 meters and the other at an elevation of 24 meters, have approximate lengths of 900 meters each. At the end of December, lights are put up on the cables and illuminated to create color effects like those on a Christmas tree. The bridge is also lit up on special occasions during the year and is often used for automobile advertisements on television. The bridge has been attacked by vandals on several occasions. In 2011, thieves stole of wire, worth R$200,000 (US$117,000). Later in August, vandals broke in the bridge's control room and destroyed the panels. On January 9, 2012, vandals stole 94 of the 142 searchlights of the bridge. It will take 90 days and R$1,000,000 (around US$250,000) to completely re-establish the lighting system.

References

External links

New bridge photo, with some useful text
Cable-stayed bridges in Brazil Bridges in São Paulo Tourist attractions in São Paulo Transport in São Paulo {{Brazil-bridge-struct-stub