News-Puente La Amistad-AdobeStock

Costa Rica

Puente La Amistad

Project description

The Puente La Amistad (“Friendship Bridge”) over the Tempisque River serves as a vital connection between Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula and the rest of the country.

With a total length of of 780 m, including a 260 m-long cable-stayed structure, it was constructed in 2003, but damaged in the 2012 Costa Rica earthquake that had its epicenter on the peninsula.

To enable it to optimally complete its originally planned service life of 100 years, it was deemed necessary to carry out significant repair and renovation works.

mageba scope

To support the renovation works, mageba designed and fabricated bearings and expansion joints to replace the existing key components including 10
RESTON-SPHERICAL bearings designed to carry loads of up to 4,000 KN and to facilitate displacements of up to +/- 100 mm – eight of the guided-sliding type (“KE”) and two of the free-sliding variety (“KA”), and 4 TENSA-MODULAR expansion joints with up to four individual movement gaps – each designed for longitudinal movements of up to 320 mm (+/-160 mm) and transverse movements of +/-20 mm.

In addition, 12.85 m of TENSA-COMPRESS expansion joint of type A45-30, which offers a movement capacity of 30 mm has been also supplied.

News-Puente La Amistad-replacement-spherical-bridge bearing

One of the installed RESTON-SPHERICAL bearings

News-Puente La Amistad-technical support mageba

mageba provided technical support on site to ensure proper installation of the new bridge products

Key Data

Products:

RESTON-SPHERICAL bearings, TENSA-MODULAR LR joints, TENSA-COMPRESS A joints

Installed:

2024

Region:

Nicoya Peninsula

Type:

Cable-stayd bridge

Length:

780 m

Client:

Hulera Costarricense LTDA

Owner:

Costa Rica Government

Contractor:

Estrumet Metalmecánica