8 ms·

Why the Amazon River Can't Be Crossed by Bridge (2018)

121 points by apsec112 8y ago

mc32 8y ago
If they did build one, it’s quite likely, as feared by some, to result in increased human activity in the vecinity of the basin. That’s to say, expect some clearing of parts of the forest.
brianbreslin 8y ago
There are several huge highway projects in the area that are linked directly to deforestation and other concerns as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interoceanic_Highway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interoceanic_Highway
justinator 8y ago
See also, the Darién Gap: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dari%C3%A9n_Gap https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dari%C3%A9n_Gap First crossed overland by bicycle (or I guess with bicycle) by Ian Hibell in 1973: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ylhWPCekdM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ylhWPCekdM
theNJR 8y ago
I was hoping for this to be a lot longer and include pictures.
trhway 8y ago
like some countries/societies jumped straight into cell/smartphones by-passing the landline stage, i think such areas like Amazon should and would go straight the way of "flying car" (all those multi-copters popping around e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNxoHqZGYa0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNxoHqZGYa0 - just add ICE/hybrid generator for range and tilt-able ducts for safety). Much less environmental damage, cheaper than whole road infrastructure and much faster to cover those distances.
- paulddraper 8y ago
  > Much less environmental damage How is that possible?
  - sealjam 8y ago
    I assume the OP meant less environment damage from building roads, not that flying cars would be produce less CO2 than land cars.
- burfog 8y ago
  Skipping the landline stage means skipping the need to stabilize the situation on the ground, particularly involving crime. There is a lot to be said for the side-effects of landlines, other utilities, a postal service, roads, and so on. Widely exposed public assets need protection, and so they get it, and thus the place is becalmed. Cell towers are tiny little spots that can be fortified without much concern for the surrounding situation. They don't provide an incentive to care about any troubles in the area.
  - tchaffee 8y ago
    Do you have a source for that showing causation? Also I don't recall the Amazon area or any of the remote parts of Brazil I've been to having a problem with stability or crime. The crime is in the cities. Where landlines run underground anyway and don't need to be secured.
  - magduf 8y ago
    They have landlines and postal service in Baltimore, yet the murder rate is horrific.
- jankotek 8y ago
  Or use tunnel with rockets... :)
- mcv 8y ago
  Why fly when boats can get you where you need to go?
tiagobraw 8y ago
When I was young (I think I was 18 years old), me and my dad traveled across all the length of Amazon river (from Belém to Manaus) in a crowded boat sleeping on hammocks, it was a 6 days trip. https://goo.gl/maps/BFkCPx1HR1n https://goo.gl/maps/BFkCPx1HR1n In some places the river was really narrow and almost could be crossed by swimming, but there where times that I couldn't see any of the two margins because of its enormous width. Is was a really great experience, got to talk to indigenous people, saw a lot of botos cor-de-rosa (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_river_dolphin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_river_dolphin) and got to eat amazing local dishes.
- tdfx 8y ago
  How did you set this up? Doesn't seem like the kind of tourist package you'd see on TripAdvisor.
  - senorjazz 8y ago
    The river is / was the main highway, not sure about now with more year round roads etc, but when I was last in the area, long time ago now mind,you would just turn up and get on the boat. It wasn't comfortable, wasn't all that enjoyable after (x) hours and (y) days. Lots of being bored, interspersed with the odd enjoyable / memorable moments. Which looking back on, is all you remember :)
- patkai 8y ago
  Isn't Belém to Manaus the trip Jules Verne described in 800 miles on the Amazon? I wanted to take that trip since I was 10.
cpeterso 8y ago
Too wide
- taneq 8y ago
  Too wide, width too variable with season, insufficient roads to justify the effort and expense.
mirimir 8y ago
Near its headwaters, the Amazon is not so wide, and runs through ~narrow canyons. I wouldn't be surprised if there were footbridges. I don't find images of any, though. But there is this: https://planetsave.com/2010/07/23/amazon-river-10-friday-photos/amazon-river-headwaters/ https://planetsave.com/2010/07/23/amazon-river-10-friday-pho...
- mcv 8y ago
  That article reflects similar lessons learned in Netherland: rivers need space to expand. We've got a long and treasured history turning lakes and seas into land (polder), but recently, and somewhat controversially, we've started abandoning a few polders in order to give floods a better place to go than population centers.
ngcc_hk 8y ago
Shouldn’t ... but can’t? Always can.
- rflrob 8y ago
  But the title “if you want to cross the Amazon by bridge, you’ll first need to build one” isn’t nearly as snappy.
- PhasmaFelis 8y ago
  At the moment, you definitely can't cross the Amazon by bridge, because no bridge exists. Whether it's possible to build a bridge is a different question.
nisse72 8y ago
up to 10 square acres I cannot fathom this 4 dimensional unit!
- onion2k 8y ago
  I think square acres might work as the article could be referring to the area moment of inertia of the floating vegetation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_moment_of_area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_moment_of_area). I suspect this is not the intended meaning though. :)
- geezerjay 8y ago
  4D: Volume and time! Obvious! The demonstration is trivial and is left as an exercise for the reader.
  - ghkbrew 8y ago
    Of course, but what is the conversation factor between seconds and feet?
    - travisoneill1 8y ago
      983571056i ft = 1s
- benj111 8y ago
  That's because a fathom is a unit of length (or depth) so 4 in to 1 obviously isn't going to work.
  - btown 8y ago
    What does work have to do with any of this? Sure, the water acts on the floating vegetation in the direction of displacement, but without a measure of the weight of the islands, it's somewhat meaningless.
- taneq 8y ago
  Clearly they mean 10^2 acres = 100 acres. BIMDAS!
renholder 8y ago
>For most of its length, the Amazon isn't anywhere close to too wide to bridge—in the dry season. But during the rainy season, the river rises thirty feet, and crossings that were once three miles wide can balloon to thirty miles in a matter of weeks. The soft sediment that makes up the river bank is constantly eroding, and the river is often full of debris, including floating vegetation islands called matupás, which can measure up to 10 square acres. It's a civil engineer's worst nightmare. Isn't this the predominance of what the ACE (Army Corps of Engineers) deals with when it comes to the Mississippi River[0]? [0] - https://www.tulane.edu/~bfleury/envirobio/enviroweb/FloodControl.htm https://www.tulane.edu/~bfleury/envirobio/enviroweb/FloodCon...
minikites 8y ago
The Amazon pushes a tremendous amount of fresh water into the ocean: >The river pushes a vast plume of fresh water into the ocean. The plume is about 400 kilometres (250 mi) long and between 100 and 200 kilometres (62 and 124 mi) wide. For centuries ships have reported fresh water near the Amazon's mouth yet well out of sight of land in what otherwise seemed to be the open ocean.
nkoren 8y ago
Tracing the Amazon from its headwaters... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-15.2762023,-71.6326301,334m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-15.2762023,-71.6326301,334m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-15.1768982,-71.6372406,233m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-15.1768982,-71.6372406,233m/da... Here's a couple of bridges: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.8748328,-71.5192037,233m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.8748328,-71.5192037,233m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.8073581,-71.4882189,863m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.8073581,-71.4882189,863m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.7501513,-71.4792706,326m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.7501513,-71.4792706,326m/da... Here's a bridge (with some spectacular ancient ruins just north of it, wow!): https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.7317275,-71.4653133,372m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.7317275,-71.4653133,372m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.6865893,-71.4459353,271m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.6865893,-71.4459353,271m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.6503598,-71.4346162,335m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.6503598,-71.4346162,335m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.6068402,-71.4539496,370m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.6068402,-71.4539496,370m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.5375724,-71.4662274,376m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.5375724,-71.4662274,376m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.4966649,-71.4655178,619m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.4966649,-71.4655178,619m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.4821393,-71.4651525,932m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.4821393,-71.4651525,932m/da... Here's a bridge, fascinating remnants of high-intensity agriculture in the area. Clearly supported a much larger population during pre-Columbian times: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.4041017,-71.4689323,467m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.4041017,-71.4689323,467m/da... Here's a couple of bridges, including a famous rope bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.3821426,-71.4849719,637m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.3821426,-71.4849719,637m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.2970991,-71.5081793,491m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.2970991,-71.5081793,491m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.2257273,-71.5213399,828m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.2257273,-71.5213399,828m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.1689771,-71.5576715,754m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.1689771,-71.5576715,754m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.1260513,-71.6607489,453m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.1260513,-71.6607489,453m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.9539948,-71.7544463,863m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.9539948,-71.7544463,863m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.932637,-71.7777958,853m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.932637,-71.7777958,853m/dat... Here's a bridge, with Streetview! The former bridge looks pretty dodgy: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.8145316,-71.8335396,3a,60y,18.5h,84t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sv843XwPsUXbIPJanyqSdYw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.8145316,-71.8335396,3a,60y,... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.8304518,-71.942204,375m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.8304518,-71.942204,375m/dat... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.8211571,-71.9706923,320m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.8211571,-71.9706923,320m/da... Here's a bridge, with an ex-bridge just upstream: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.7749211,-72.0847456,168m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.7749211,-72.0847456,168m/da... I don't understand why there's a bridge here, but there is: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.77597,-72.0966336,194m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.77597,-72.0966336,194m/data... Here's a pre-bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.6966954,-72.2455627,451m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.6966954,-72.2455627,451m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.6901983,-72.3356296,515m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.6901983,-72.3356296,515m/da... Here's a bridge, with more streetview: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.5627059,-72.5751752,3a,60y,71.84h,91.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgeFdQ8Yatbwq3h3HcgQu_w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.5627059,-72.5751752,3a,60y,... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.4215974,-72.852207,437m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.4215974,-72.852207,437m/dat... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.4163366,-72.8835264,419m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.4163366,-72.8835264,419m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.4450156,-73.1816146,699m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.4450156,-73.1816146,699m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.3103693,-73.329247,409m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.3103693,-73.329247,409m/dat... Now we're starting to get into lowlands jungle, but still, here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-12.6227864,-73.7872767,846m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-12.6227864,-73.7872767,846m/da... ...And I believe that is indeed the last one.
arjunvpaul 8y ago
Always happy when bridges get discussed here. Having built (a couple of) bridges across the Mississippi, i can attest that it is possible to build a bridge across the Amazon. This headline is appears to be click bait A river rising 30 feet is no big deal. I think the Amazon rises more than that actually. The Mississippi very often rises to 40 feet.More in some years. Here's a video of a 300yr flood hitting in the middle of bridge construction - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orj6B46PJbY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orj6B46PJbY (skip and pause at 0:17)
- unreal37 8y ago
  The real issue is that the area is sparsely populated so you'd end up with a lot of bridges to nowhere.
  - pvaldes 8y ago
    To natural resources ready to be looted. Much easier moving big machines to chop huge trees quickly if you have a road.
- Brendinooo 8y ago
  >the river rises thirty feet, and crossings that were once three miles wide can balloon to thirty miles in a matter of weeks. My impression wasn't so much that it was the 30 feet rise, but the fact that it added 27 miles to the width of the river. Does the Mississippi do that as well? (The Ohio/Monongahela/Allegheny are my baseline, so it's harder to comprehend rivers that do stuff like this!)
  - lqet 8y ago
    This is also hardly an issue, as there are bridges longer than that [0]. As others have pointed out, the main issue is given at the end of the article: nobody needs such a bridge. > But the real reason for the lack of bridges is simply this: the Amazon Basin has very few roads for bridges to connect. The dense rainforest is sparsely populated outside of a few large cities, and the river itself is the main highway for those traveling through the region. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_bridges https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_bridges
pwaivers 8y ago
The matupás mentioned in the article are also really interesting: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-science-and-legend-of-the-amazon-s-floating-forest-islands https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-science-and-legend...

121 points by apsec112 8y ago

mc32 8y ago

If they did build one, it’s quite likely, as feared by some, to result in increased human activity in the vecinity of the basin. That’s to say, expect some clearing of parts of the forest.

brianbreslin 8y ago

There are several huge highway projects in the area that are linked directly to deforestation and other concerns as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interoceanic_Highway https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interoceanic_Highway

justinator 8y ago

See also, the Darién Gap: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dari%C3%A9n_Gap https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dari%C3%A9n_Gap First crossed overland by bicycle (or I guess with bicycle) by Ian Hibell in 1973: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ylhWPCekdM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ylhWPCekdM

theNJR 8y ago

I was hoping for this to be a lot longer and include pictures.

trhway 8y ago

like some countries/societies jumped straight into cell/smartphones by-passing the landline stage, i think such areas like Amazon should and would go straight the way of "flying car" (all those multi-copters popping around e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNxoHqZGYa0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNxoHqZGYa0 - just add ICE/hybrid generator for range and tilt-able ducts for safety). Much less environmental damage, cheaper than whole road infrastructure and much faster to cover those distances.

paulddraper 8y ago
> Much less environmental damage How is that possible?
- sealjam 8y ago
  I assume the OP meant less environment damage from building roads, not that flying cars would be produce less CO2 than land cars.
burfog 8y ago
Skipping the landline stage means skipping the need to stabilize the situation on the ground, particularly involving crime. There is a lot to be said for the side-effects of landlines, other utilities, a postal service, roads, and so on. Widely exposed public assets need protection, and so they get it, and thus the place is becalmed. Cell towers are tiny little spots that can be fortified without much concern for the surrounding situation. They don't provide an incentive to care about any troubles in the area.
- tchaffee 8y ago
  Do you have a source for that showing causation? Also I don't recall the Amazon area or any of the remote parts of Brazil I've been to having a problem with stability or crime. The crime is in the cities. Where landlines run underground anyway and don't need to be secured.
- magduf 8y ago
  They have landlines and postal service in Baltimore, yet the murder rate is horrific.
jankotek 8y ago
Or use tunnel with rockets... :)
mcv 8y ago
Why fly when boats can get you where you need to go?

tiagobraw 8y ago

When I was young (I think I was 18 years old), me and my dad traveled across all the length of Amazon river (from Belém to Manaus) in a crowded boat sleeping on hammocks, it was a 6 days trip. https://goo.gl/maps/BFkCPx1HR1n https://goo.gl/maps/BFkCPx1HR1n In some places the river was really narrow and almost could be crossed by swimming, but there where times that I couldn't see any of the two margins because of its enormous width. Is was a really great experience, got to talk to indigenous people, saw a lot of botos cor-de-rosa (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_river_dolphin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_river_dolphin) and got to eat amazing local dishes.

tdfx 8y ago
How did you set this up? Doesn't seem like the kind of tourist package you'd see on TripAdvisor.
- senorjazz 8y ago
  The river is / was the main highway, not sure about now with more year round roads etc, but when I was last in the area, long time ago now mind,you would just turn up and get on the boat. It wasn't comfortable, wasn't all that enjoyable after (x) hours and (y) days. Lots of being bored, interspersed with the odd enjoyable / memorable moments. Which looking back on, is all you remember :)
patkai 8y ago
Isn't Belém to Manaus the trip Jules Verne described in 800 miles on the Amazon? I wanted to take that trip since I was 10.

cpeterso 8y ago

Too wide

taneq 8y ago
Too wide, width too variable with season, insufficient roads to justify the effort and expense.

mirimir 8y ago

Near its headwaters, the Amazon is not so wide, and runs through ~narrow canyons. I wouldn't be surprised if there were footbridges. I don't find images of any, though. But there is this: https://planetsave.com/2010/07/23/amazon-river-10-friday-photos/amazon-river-headwaters/ https://planetsave.com/2010/07/23/amazon-river-10-friday-pho...

mcv 8y ago
That article reflects similar lessons learned in Netherland: rivers need space to expand. We've got a long and treasured history turning lakes and seas into land (polder), but recently, and somewhat controversially, we've started abandoning a few polders in order to give floods a better place to go than population centers.

ngcc_hk 8y ago

Shouldn’t ... but can’t? Always can.

rflrob 8y ago
But the title “if you want to cross the Amazon by bridge, you’ll first need to build one” isn’t nearly as snappy.
PhasmaFelis 8y ago
At the moment, you definitely can't cross the Amazon by bridge, because no bridge exists. Whether it's possible to build a bridge is a different question.

nisse72 8y ago

up to 10 square acres I cannot fathom this 4 dimensional unit!

onion2k 8y ago
I think square acres might work as the article could be referring to the area moment of inertia of the floating vegetation (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_moment_of_area https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_moment_of_area). I suspect this is not the intended meaning though. :)
geezerjay 8y ago
4D: Volume and time! Obvious! The demonstration is trivial and is left as an exercise for the reader.
- ghkbrew 8y ago
  Of course, but what is the conversation factor between seconds and feet?
  - travisoneill1 8y ago
    983571056i ft = 1s
benj111 8y ago
That's because a fathom is a unit of length (or depth) so 4 in to 1 obviously isn't going to work.
- btown 8y ago
  What does work have to do with any of this? Sure, the water acts on the floating vegetation in the direction of displacement, but without a measure of the weight of the islands, it's somewhat meaningless.
taneq 8y ago
Clearly they mean 10^2 acres = 100 acres. BIMDAS!

renholder 8y ago

>For most of its length, the Amazon isn't anywhere close to too wide to bridge—in the dry season. But during the rainy season, the river rises thirty feet, and crossings that were once three miles wide can balloon to thirty miles in a matter of weeks. The soft sediment that makes up the river bank is constantly eroding, and the river is often full of debris, including floating vegetation islands called matupás, which can measure up to 10 square acres. It's a civil engineer's worst nightmare. Isn't this the predominance of what the ACE (Army Corps of Engineers) deals with when it comes to the Mississippi River[0]? [0] - https://www.tulane.edu/~bfleury/envirobio/enviroweb/FloodControl.htm https://www.tulane.edu/~bfleury/envirobio/enviroweb/FloodCon...

minikites 8y ago

The Amazon pushes a tremendous amount of fresh water into the ocean: >The river pushes a vast plume of fresh water into the ocean. The plume is about 400 kilometres (250 mi) long and between 100 and 200 kilometres (62 and 124 mi) wide. For centuries ships have reported fresh water near the Amazon's mouth yet well out of sight of land in what otherwise seemed to be the open ocean.

nkoren 8y ago

Tracing the Amazon from its headwaters... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-15.2762023,-71.6326301,334m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-15.2762023,-71.6326301,334m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-15.1768982,-71.6372406,233m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-15.1768982,-71.6372406,233m/da... Here's a couple of bridges: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.8748328,-71.5192037,233m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.8748328,-71.5192037,233m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.8073581,-71.4882189,863m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.8073581,-71.4882189,863m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.7501513,-71.4792706,326m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.7501513,-71.4792706,326m/da... Here's a bridge (with some spectacular ancient ruins just north of it, wow!): https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.7317275,-71.4653133,372m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.7317275,-71.4653133,372m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.6865893,-71.4459353,271m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.6865893,-71.4459353,271m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.6503598,-71.4346162,335m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.6503598,-71.4346162,335m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.6068402,-71.4539496,370m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.6068402,-71.4539496,370m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.5375724,-71.4662274,376m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.5375724,-71.4662274,376m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.4966649,-71.4655178,619m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.4966649,-71.4655178,619m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.4821393,-71.4651525,932m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.4821393,-71.4651525,932m/da... Here's a bridge, fascinating remnants of high-intensity agriculture in the area. Clearly supported a much larger population during pre-Columbian times: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.4041017,-71.4689323,467m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.4041017,-71.4689323,467m/da... Here's a couple of bridges, including a famous rope bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.3821426,-71.4849719,637m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.3821426,-71.4849719,637m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.2970991,-71.5081793,491m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.2970991,-71.5081793,491m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.2257273,-71.5213399,828m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.2257273,-71.5213399,828m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.1689771,-71.5576715,754m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.1689771,-71.5576715,754m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.1260513,-71.6607489,453m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-14.1260513,-71.6607489,453m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.9539948,-71.7544463,863m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.9539948,-71.7544463,863m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.932637,-71.7777958,853m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.932637,-71.7777958,853m/dat... Here's a bridge, with Streetview! The former bridge looks pretty dodgy: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.8145316,-71.8335396,3a,60y,18.5h,84t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sv843XwPsUXbIPJanyqSdYw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.8145316,-71.8335396,3a,60y,... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.8304518,-71.942204,375m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.8304518,-71.942204,375m/dat... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.8211571,-71.9706923,320m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.8211571,-71.9706923,320m/da... Here's a bridge, with an ex-bridge just upstream: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.7749211,-72.0847456,168m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.7749211,-72.0847456,168m/da... I don't understand why there's a bridge here, but there is: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.77597,-72.0966336,194m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.77597,-72.0966336,194m/data... Here's a pre-bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.6966954,-72.2455627,451m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.6966954,-72.2455627,451m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.6901983,-72.3356296,515m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.6901983,-72.3356296,515m/da... Here's a bridge, with more streetview: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.5627059,-72.5751752,3a,60y,71.84h,91.03t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sgeFdQ8Yatbwq3h3HcgQu_w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.5627059,-72.5751752,3a,60y,... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.4215974,-72.852207,437m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.4215974,-72.852207,437m/dat... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.4163366,-72.8835264,419m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.4163366,-72.8835264,419m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.4450156,-73.1816146,699m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.4450156,-73.1816146,699m/da... Here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.3103693,-73.329247,409m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-13.3103693,-73.329247,409m/dat... Now we're starting to get into lowlands jungle, but still, here's a bridge: https://www.google.com/maps/@-12.6227864,-73.7872767,846m/data=!3m1!1e3 https://www.google.com/maps/@-12.6227864,-73.7872767,846m/da... ...And I believe that is indeed the last one.

arjunvpaul 8y ago

Always happy when bridges get discussed here. Having built (a couple of) bridges across the Mississippi, i can attest that it is possible to build a bridge across the Amazon. This headline is appears to be click bait A river rising 30 feet is no big deal. I think the Amazon rises more than that actually. The Mississippi very often rises to 40 feet.More in some years. Here's a video of a 300yr flood hitting in the middle of bridge construction - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orj6B46PJbY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orj6B46PJbY (skip and pause at 0:17)

unreal37 8y ago
The real issue is that the area is sparsely populated so you'd end up with a lot of bridges to nowhere.
- pvaldes 8y ago
  To natural resources ready to be looted. Much easier moving big machines to chop huge trees quickly if you have a road.
Brendinooo 8y ago
>the river rises thirty feet, and crossings that were once three miles wide can balloon to thirty miles in a matter of weeks. My impression wasn't so much that it was the 30 feet rise, but the fact that it added 27 miles to the width of the river. Does the Mississippi do that as well? (The Ohio/Monongahela/Allegheny are my baseline, so it's harder to comprehend rivers that do stuff like this!)
- lqet 8y ago
  This is also hardly an issue, as there are bridges longer than that [0]. As others have pointed out, the main issue is given at the end of the article: nobody needs such a bridge. > But the real reason for the lack of bridges is simply this: the Amazon Basin has very few roads for bridges to connect. The dense rainforest is sparsely populated outside of a few large cities, and the river itself is the main highway for those traveling through the region. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_bridges https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_longest_bridges

pwaivers 8y ago

The matupás mentioned in the article are also really interesting: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-science-and-legend-of-the-amazon-s-floating-forest-islands https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-science-and-legend...