Brazil builds new concrete bridges to replace aging wooden spans in two regions

Governor Carlos Brandão of Maranhão signed a service order on 7 July for the construction of a concrete bridge over the Rio Grajaú on highway MA‑379, linking the municipalities of Arame and Itaipava do Grajaú. The 100‑metre structure will replace a deteriorating wooden bridge, improving safety, traffic capacity and regional integration for thousands of residents, producers and traders.

In a separate project, a new concrete bridge at the border of Mercedes and Marechal Cândido Rondón was opened to traffic on 8 July. The bridge, replacing an unsafe wooden crossing that had caused vehicle accidents, was funded jointly by the two municipalities, with roughly R$160 000 spent on concrete beams by Mercedes and about R$90 000 on materials and labour by Marechal Cândido Rondón. The wider, more durable span now supports light and heavy vehicles as well as agricultural machinery, strengthening connectivity between the communities of Novo Rio do Sul and Boa Vista.