Puente Chirre, National heritage bridge in Río Bueno, Chile

Puente Chirre is a 114 m long, 4.4 m wide reinforced concrete bridge over the Chirre River, with a 67 m high lower arch of 66.7 m span and four secondary spans of 11.83 m each. The deck rests on four longitudinal beams, and the arch is supported by six pillars with 8.3 m between them.

Built between 1940 and 1945 in reinforced concrete, the bridge served the sub-branch running from Crucero station on the Cocule–Lago Ranco line toward Puyehue. Its lower arch, cast on timber formwork over piles driven below the river, withstood the 1960 earthquake. On 23 November 2017 it was declared a National Monument by decree No. 0371, and it now belongs to the Ministry of Public Works and carries road traffic.

The bridge is one of Chile's earliest lower-arch reinforced concrete bridges, built in the first half of the 20th century and the tallest of its type. Its lower arch is a single slab about 2 m thick and 7.5 m wide with a 66.7 m span, projecting 1.5 m beyond the deck on each side.

The location lies roughly one hour from the city center and is reached by following a local road toward nearby villages. The area is surrounded by forest, so visitors should check road conditions before planning a visit.

The bridge was built with special techniques to resist earthquake damage, making it an early example of seismic design in Chile. These precautions were uncommon when the project was planned, yet they proved the engineers' foresight.