Juscelino Kubitschek bridge

The Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge (Portuguese: Ponte Juscelino Kubitschek), also known as the President JK Bridge or just the JK Bridge, crosses Lake Paranoá in Brasília, D.F.

It is named for Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira, former president of Brazil, who in the late 1950s decided to build Brasília as the new capital of the country. It was designed by architect Alexandre Chan and structural engineer Mário Vila Verde.

Juscelino Kubitschek bridge

Locale                                                Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil

Designer                                            Alexandre Chan and Mário Vila Verde

Design                                               Asymmetric Arch bridge with suspended deck

Total length                                      1,200 metres (3,900 ft)

Width                                                24 metres (79 ft)

Height                                               60 metres (200 ft)

Longest span                                     720 metres (2,400 ft)

Beginning date of construction         2000

Completion date                                2002

The main span structure has four supporting pillars submerged under Lake Paranoá, and the deck weight is supported by three 200-foot tall asymmetrical steel arches that crisscross diagonally. The decks are suspended by steel cables alternating at each side of the deck, interlacing in some kind of twisted plane (parabolic like). The entire structure has a total length of 1,200 m, and it was completed at a cost of US$56.8 million. The bridge has a pedestrian walkway and is accessible to bicyclists and skaters.