Mexico's record-setting Baluarte Bicentennial Bridge under construction

[oscar]

An article in today's Washington Post features a new highway under construction along part of MX 40 between Durango and Mazatlan, including the record-setting cable-stayed Baluarte Bicentennial Bridge which is a quarter-mile above the Baluarte river.  The article has a photo of the new bridge and a map of the new road (which could open as soon as late 2012), but also focuses on the road's potential impacts on the drug trade.

[Stephane Dumas]

 One word who said it all: Wow!!!

[Desert Man]

A part of the NAFTA highways sytem connecting them with Mexico City and Guadalajara to the east, and farther north is Phoenix and Tucson, Az.; and Los Angeles and San Diego, Cal. implying the important relationship of the two countries connected by road. There's already the so-called "NAFTA highway" Cal. route 86 from Indio, Cal. meeting at I-10 headed west to San Bernardino and downtown L.A. to the city of El Centro meeting with I-8 and ends at the border towns of Calexico/Mexicali.

[ARMOURERERIC]

Wow................



Just Imagine..............




How many  dead rival gang members the Zeta's can hang from that

[kphoger]

OK.  I've been following the Baluarte bridge and related highway news for like a year now, and have actually considered posting it on this site a few times but never got around to it.  But what the heck does building a faster toll road have to do with the drug trade?  Seriously, the article suggests that getting a construction or factory job will attract people who might otherwise traffick drugs and weapons.  Really?  So, rather than have power and boat loads of money, they could instead work ten-hour days of manual labor.  Right.  And, on the flip side, let me get this straight.....more drugs will flow from point A to point B because....drug runners don't like having to slow down to 20 mph?  Hello, there is already a highway between the two, it's just not as straight and nice as the new toll road.  I'm sure saving a few hours of transit time will greatly increase drug trafficking.  Or not.

Anywho..... Back to the highway and bridge....

Most impressive to me is the point at which the road punches straight out from a tunnel onto a bridge.  If I remember right, the highway punches out of the tunnel, onto Baluarte bridge, then immediately curves a bit.  And, though not obvious at first glance, also impressive are all the miles of access roads built to actually get the workers out there.  That is not easy terrain, for sure!  Just look at the following picture, and imagine the logistics:


And here's a nice shot to impress:

[oscar]

OK.  I've been following the Baluarte bridge and related highway news for like a year now, and have actually considered posting it on this site a few times but never got around to it.  But what the heck does building a faster toll road have to do with the drug trade?  Seriously, the article suggests that getting a construction of factory job will attract people who might otherwise traffick drugs and weapons.  Really?  So, rather than have power and boat loads of money, they could instead work ten-hour days of manual labor.  Right.  And, on the flip side, let me get this straight.....more drugs will flow from point A to point B because....drug runners don't like having to slow down to 20 mph?  Hello, there is already a highway between the two, it's just not as straight and nice as the new toll road.  I'm sure saving a few hours of transit time will greatly increase drug trafficking.  Or not.

OTOH, there's no way that just a cool record-setting bridge project, in another country, with no drug angle or other attention-grabber, would've made it onto the front page of the Washington Post.  I don't remember France's Millau bridge getting such prominent placement in the Post.

[Alps]

What's the record being set? Also, amused that the bridge both increases and decreases the drug trade simultaneously.

[kphoger]

What's the record being set? Also, amused that the bridge both increases and decreases the drug trade simultaneously.

The highest cable-stayed bridge in the world.  Second-highest bridge overall.  Longest cable-stayed span in North America.

[kphoger]

For more images and information, including many pictures from the various stages of construction, please visit...
http://www.highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=Baluarte_Bridge