Salvador-Itaparica Bridge central span widened to 682 metres

The Salvador‑Itaparica Bridge in Bahia, Brazil, has had its central cable‑stayed span increased from 482 m to 682 m, placing it among the world’s 25 longest cable‑stayed bridges. The upgrade meets international navigation standards, allowing larger vessels such as cruise ships, cargo ships and oil tankers to pass safely beneath the structure.

The project incorporates a suite of advanced engineering solutions: twin 248‑metre diamond‑shaped towers constructed with hydraulic climbing forms, a maritime operational platform sourced from Chinese technology that reduces support‑boat traffic by nearly 70 %, an on‑site concrete plant positioned between piers P5 and P6 to speed material delivery, and a Building Information Modeling (BIM) workflow that enables real‑time monitoring and resource optimisation. Concessionaire spokesperson Carlos Prates highlighted that the bridge not only improves regional mobility but also introduces construction methods previously unseen in Latin America, creating a lasting technological legacy for Brazilian engineering.