General Artigas Bridge, International road bridge between Colón, Argentina and Paysandú, Uruguay.
The General Artigas Bridge is a prestressed concrete beam bridge over the Uruguay River between Colón and Paysandú. Its deck is 8 m wide with a 1.80 m sidewalk on each side, carried on 44 viaduct spans of 46 m between piers, 34 in Argentina and 10 in Uruguay. The main span measures 140 m between supports, with 34 m of clearance above the Paysandú datum.
Plans for a river crossing date to the 1950s; a ferry linked Colón and Paysandú from April 1960, and in 1964 Paysandú's provincial council approved a pontoon bridge project. Diplomatic notes agreeing to an international bridge were signed in February 1966, and the contract was awarded in September 1970 to Argentine firms. Built over nearly five years, the bridge was inaugurated on 10 December 1975 by presidents Isabel Perón and Juan María Bordaberry, and asphalt paving followed in 1978.
The bridge is named after José Gervasio Artigas, the Uruguayan independence leader. Its opening ceremony on 10 December 1975 was led by Argentine President Isabel Perón and Uruguayan President Juan María Bordaberry; access on the Argentine side was tightly restricted, while many Uruguayans attended and drove across the span that day.
The deck is 8 m wide, with a 1.80 m sidewalk on each side and service pipes running beneath them. Argentine National Route 135 meets the Uruguayan road network at the bridge, and each end has its own border post. The 34 m clearance is measured from the Paysandú zero point.
The deck sits 34 metres above the Paysandú reference level, and the main span between supports measures 140 metres. Of the 44 viaduct spans, 34 stand on Argentine soil and 10 on Uruguayan soil, so a driver crosses the border midway along the structure.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,699 contributors worldwide.
