President Bukele opens $32.6 million bridge to Guatemala — The Rio Times

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele on October 14 inaugurated a new four-lane bridge over the Paz River in the border town of La Hachadura. The structure connects El Salvador with the Guatemalan town of Pedro de Alvarado along the Pacific route. As The Rio Times reports, traffic on the bridge was scheduled to begin the day after the ceremony.

Project parameters

According to Bukele, the bridge cost $32.6 million. Its total length is about 420 meters, including a 173-meter main span without supports in the riverbed. The project also includes approximately 1.4 km of new access roads in the territories of the two countries.

The bridge has two lanes in each direction, sidewalks, a drainage system and access roads. The project provides for new migration offices with waiting rooms, restrooms and video surveillance, as well as lighting. According to Bukele, the structure is designed for more than 50 years of operation and engineered to withstand earthquakes.

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Replacement for a crossing closed due to floods

The previous bridge had to be closed during seasonal flooding on the Paz River, which forms part of the border between El Salvador and Guatemala. This interrupted the movement of trucks, traders and travelers along the route running through Guatemala to Mexico. The new bridge is intended to reduce this crossing’s dependence on weather conditions.

The new facility was named after General Manuel José Arce, a figure in El Salvador’s struggle for independence and the first president of the Federal Republic of Central America. Bukele said that about 1.5 million vehicles use the crossing annually, while approximately 43,000 people live in the adjacent border communities. According to local media, the construction created about 1,380 direct and indirect jobs.