The Amazon River: A Bridgeless Wonder

By Christina Hooton

The Amazon River in South America is one of the longest rivers in the world, measuring over 4,300 miles. It spans three countries — Brazil, Peru, and Columbia — is home to hundreds of species of fish and other marine life and serves as a source of water and food to more than 30 million people. Despite all its attributes, it lacks one thing — bridges.

This makes the Amazon River somewhat of an anomaly compared with the other great rivers of the world. For example, the Nile River in Africa, also the closest in length, has nine bridges, while the Danube in Europe, only a third of the size, has 133. The Yangtze River in China, the third largest in the world, has more than 100 bridges. Here are a few reasons the Amazon River is different.

Undeveloped Lands

From its headwaters in the Andes Mountains to its delta on the Atlantic Ocean, the Amazon River stretches through many sparsely populated areas. Dense rainforest surrounds most of it, and there are very few major roads for bridges to connect to. In the cities and towns that do border the river, ferries and boats are used to transport goods and people, so they simply don’t need bridges.

“There is no sufficiently pressing need for a bridge across the Amazon,” said Walter Kaufmann, PhD, chair of structural engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, in a Live Science article.

Challenging Terrain

Building a bridge across the Amazon River would present a number of challenges for engineers. For one thing, its width and depth fluctuate from season to season. From June to November, known as dry season, its width ranges from two to six miles on average. But during wet season, from December through April, the river grows as wide as 30 miles and can be 50 feet higher than normal.

The river’s soft soils and marshes present another obstacle. They would require long access viaducts and deep foundations, according to Kaufmann, solutions that would require a significant financial investment.

Future Plans

Although there would be many difficulties to overcome when building a bridge across the Amazon, there is much political interest surrounding the idea. Jair Bolsonaro, the current President of Brazil, declared his desire to build a bridge that crosses the Amazon as part of his Rio Branco Project.

Provisional plans were developed for a bridge in the Upper Amazon. However, some wonder if the economic need for a bridge truly outweighs the financial burden and difficulties of building one. There is also the issue of conservation. This project could provide greater access to half of the country’s remaining Amazon rainforest, something conservationists are keen to prevent.

Although its fate seems as unpredictable as the water it holds, this natural treasure remains relatively unspoiled — for now.