Twin arches
No river piers.
The Ernesto Dornelles Bridge is an arch bridge over the Rio das Antas between Bento Gonçalves and Veranópolis in Rio Grande do Sul, on the BR-470 highway, also known as the Rio das Antas Bridge or the «Bridge of Arches». It has no piers in the river bed: its reinforced-concrete structure consists of two parallel arches with a free span of 186 metres between supports on the banks, and the road runs between the arches for a total length of 227 metres. It is considered one of the largest parallel suspended arch bridges in the world. It was designed by the noted engineer Antonio Alves de Noronha, a professor at the Polytechnic School of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and appears in the logo of the state roads department. A stop here is worth it to take in the deep valley, on the road between Bento Gonçalves and Veranópolis.
No river piers.
Deep gorge.
Engineering icon.
BR-470 over the Rio das Antas between Bento Gonçalves and Veranópolis, Rio Grande do Sul
Two parallel arches carry it over a 186-metre span with no pier in the river.