The physical connection of the new international bridge linking Paraguay and Brazil over the Paraguay River was completed on Wednesday night, marking a crucial milestone for the Bioceanic Corridor. The link between Carmelo Peralta in the Paraguayan Chaco and Puerto Murtinho in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul was finalized with the pouring of concrete for the final five meters that separated the two banks.
The concreting work, which had been postponed during the day due to strong winds, was completed around 10 p.m. Engineer René Gómez, responsible for the project, supervised the operation that culminated four years of construction, which began with clearing work in 2022. The structure, a cable-stayed bridge with a total length of 1,294 meters, has a central span of 632 meters, one of the largest in South America for this type of structure.
The Minister of Public Works and Communications (MOPC), Claudia Centurión, confirmed the completion of the milestone and highlighted the infrastructure's transformative impact. "It will not only bring Latin America closer to Asia but will also foster greater integration," she stated. She emphasized the benefits for trade, logistics, tourism, and the development of the Paraguayan Chaco, predicting that the project will strategically reposition the country in the region.
The project, financed by the Paraguayan side of the Itaipú Binacional hydroelectric dam at a cost of over 100 million dollars, involved more than 90% Paraguayan labor. The structure is equipped with modern monitoring systems to track deformations, vibrations, and weather conditions in real time.
An official ceremony to commemorate the physical connection is scheduled for next Thursday, July 23, with the confirmed attendance of Paraguayan President Santiago Peña. The participation of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has not yet been confirmed. Following the ceremony, work will continue with the paving of the bridge deck, scheduled for September, and the completion of the access roads, with full completion expected by February 2027.
The Bioceanic Corridor, of which the bridge is a key piece, aims to create a logistics route of more than 3,200 kilometers linking the port of Santos on the Brazilian Atlantic coast with Chilean ports on the Pacific, boosting international trade with Asia and fostering regional integration.