The General Norzagaray Bridge is a brick and masonry
barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...
bridge built in 1855 in
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan ( , ; Spanish for "Saint John the Baptist, John") is the capital city and most populous Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the ...
. Also known as Puente de los Frailes, it brings what is now
Puerto Rico Highway 873 across
Frailes Creek Frailes or Los Frailes may refer to:
* Frailes, Spain, a municipality in the province of Jaén, Spain
* Frailes, Desamparados, Costa Rica, a town in the Desamparados canton, San José province, Costa Rica
* Frailes, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, a barri ...
, a tributary to the
Guaynabo River. It has eight barrel vault spans. Its total length is and its roadway width is .
[ It was listed on the ]National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
(NRHP) in 1995,[ and on the ]Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones
The Puerto Rico Register of Historic Sites and Zones (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Registro Nacional de Sitios y Zonas Históricas'') is a Government of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rican government program adopted by the state Puerto Rico Planning Board, ...
in 2000.[
It is named for Fernándo de Norzagaray y Escudero, ]governor of Puerto Rico
The governor of Puerto Rico () is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. Elected to a 4 year-term through popular vote by the residents of the archipelago and island, ...
from 1852 to 1855.[
It was designed by chief engineer Manuel Sanchez-Nunez y Layne and built by engineer Gustavo Steinacher (who also designed and built the first suspension bridge in the Caribbean, over the Cagüitas River just north of ]Caguas, Puerto Rico
Caguas (, ) is a Caguas barrio-pueblo, city and Municipalities of Puerto Rico, municipality in central eastern Puerto Rico. Located in the eponymous Caguas Valley between the Sierra de Cayey and Sierra de Luquillo of the Cordillera Central (Puer ...
pesos
The peso is the monetary unit of several Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America, as well as the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries of the Americas, the symbol commonly known a ...
.[
According to its NRHP registration, it "is one of the most impressive bridges from the Spanish Colonial period", serving as a "prime example of Spanish 19th century masonry arch technology".][ With ]
The superstructure of the bridge was modified in 1927 by removal of earth fill and addition of steel girders installed on the arch piers to support a concrete deck. This does not interfere significantly with the historic integrity of the bridge.[
It spans between what are now the ]barrio
''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...
s of Caimito and Tortugo in San Juan.
Gallery
View of bridge roadway looking S showing location of bridge plaque. - Puente de los Frailes, Spanning Frailes Creek, PR Route 873, KM 18.85, Chalet de la Colina, San Juan Municipio HAER PR,7-SAJU,40-8.tif, Norzagaray Bridge
San Juan - Norzagaray Bridge (1906).jpg, Norzagaray Bridge in 1906
See also
*
References
External links
*
Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Puerto Rico
Bridges completed in 1855
Arch bridges in the United States
Brick bridges in the United States
Historic American Engineering Record in Puerto Rico
1855 establishments in Puerto Rico
National Register of Historic Places in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Transportation in San Juan, Puerto Rico
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