The Rio-Niterói Bridge is an armed concrete structure that connects the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Niterói, in Brazil.

Construction began symbolically on August 23, 1968, with the presence of Queen Elizabeth II of The United Kingdom and The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in their first and thus far only visit to Brazil. Actual work begun in January, 1969. The bridge was inaugurated on March 4, 1974.

Its official name is "President Costa e Silva Bridge", in honor of the Brazilan president who ordered its construction. "Rio-Niterói" started as a descriptive nickname that soon became better known than the official name. Today, hardly anyone refers to it by its official name.

At a cost of approximately US$22 million, financed by British banks, the work was done by British construction firms. Five workmen died during the construction, when a segment of the structure collapsed into the Guanabara Bay.

The bridge is 13,290m (8.25 miles) - 8,836m (5.49 miles) over water - long and is referred to as "the national pride of engineering", as it has the highest central space in the world (in order to allow passage to the hundreds of ships that enter and leave the Bay every month), soaring 72m (236.22 feet) high. Furthermore, it receives a daily traffic load of approximately 230,000 vehicles (that pay a toll only when entering Niterói of R$2.70, or about US$0.95). The bridge has 18 access points and 8 overpasses.

Officially, the bridge is considered a part of federal highway BR-101.

Since June 1, 1995, the Rio-Niterói Bridge has been under private administration, by a company named Ponte S.A., and it is planned for it to remain so for 20 years counted from the concession date above.

(Source: Wikipedia)

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