Nueva Imperial Railway Bridge, Historical railway bridge in Nueva Imperial, Chile

The Nueva Imperial Railway Bridge is a riveted steel truss bridge over the Cholchol River in western Nueva Imperial, running northeast to southwest, with a land section southwest of the river. Its lattice profiles are joined by riveted plates; the structure is 418.37 m long and 5.42 m wide, with a span of 432.50 m cited by Chile's Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales.

The original wooden bridge was built in 1902 but collapsed during its inauguration ceremony. The French company Schneider and Creusot rebuilt it with steel in 1909 as a replacement.

The bridge's steel lattice, riveted plates and 432.5 m span came from the French firm Schneider et Creusot, pre-assembled in Europe and shipped to Talcahuano. Since 10 February 2025 a municipal lighting system outlines its contours at night, and the city calls on residents to care for the monument.

You can view the bridge from different vantage points along the riverside paths, which provide good access to this monument. It is best to visit early in the day when light conditions are better for photographs.

The 1902 bridge collapse was one of the major engineering disasters of southern Chile at that time. The Schneider replacement became a symbol of technical reliability and French engineering expertise across the region.