A symbol of integration between Brazil and Paraguay, the Friendship Bridge will complete 27 years since its official inauguration this Thursday (60).
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Friendship Bridge turns 60: what does it represent to you?
Did you know, however, that before March 27, 1965, the bridge had already been “inaugurated” or announced as ready twice? And that the construction of the BR-277 would only be completed four years later, in 1969?
In the list below, we will recall five dates that marked the epic construction of the Friendship Bridge.
October 6th, 1956
That Saturday, the small town of Foz do Iguaçu dressed up to welcome President Juscelino Kubistchek and his Paraguayan counterpart, Alfredo Stroessner. In office since August 1954, Stroessner had not yet shown any signs of staying. 35 years in power.
The visit by Juscelino and Stroessner, on October 6, 1956, had the objective of starting the construction of the International Bridge over the Paraná River. The name Friendship Bridge would only appear later, in documents from 1965.
26 January 1961
Juscelino would visit the bridge construction site once again, on October 4, 1958. However, let's skip ahead to January 26, 1961. With four days left before the end of his term, JK was in Foz do Iguaçu for a new meeting with Stroessner.
The Friendship Bridge was not yet finished, but it was already possible to pass from one side to the other. The handshake between the two presidents won status of the “inauguration” of the work, especially in Paraguay, which even issued commemorative stamps.
March 26th, 1962
Exactly one year and two months later, on March 26, 1962, the Friendship Bridge was officially completed, according to a commemorative plaque displayed at the El Mensú Museum in Ciudad del Este.
Little known in Brazil and Paraguay, the date served, for example, to record the bridge's free span as the largest in the world at the time. From then on, there was no impediment to the official inauguration of the work. However…
March 27th, 1965
Only on March 27, 1965, three years after being completed, the International Bridge over the Paraná River was inaugurated by the military Castelo Branco (Brazil) and Alfredo Stroessner (Paraguay), earning the official name of International Friendship Bridge.
Explanation for the delay? None. It is worth remembering, however, that Brazil went through a turbulent period between 1962 and 1965, including a coup d'état in 1964. Brazil and Paraguay were, at that time, under military regimes.
March 27th, 1969
With the Friendship Bridge ready and inaugurated, there was still one important point missing for its full use: the access road. In Paraguay, the current PY02 Highway was already ready, but the BR-277 would only be officially opened on March 27, 1969.
This does not mean that the highway was no longer in use, with some sections under construction and others unpaved. The inauguration of the entire 732,2-kilometer stretch, however, marked the shift towards intensive use of the new route.
Importance of the Friendship Bridge
Currently the second largest city in Paraguay, Ciudad del Este did not exist before the Friendship Bridge. The founding of the current metropolis, on February 3, 1957, had the objective of occupying the head of the future bridge.
Likewise, the Friendship Bridge made it possible to occupy Eastern Paraguay. The first road to connect Asunción with Brazil, Highway PY02 tore through the then impenetrable jungle of Alto Paraná.
While Brazil received more and more trucks from Paraguay, Stroessner encouraged the arrival of Brazilian farmers, who would turn the neighboring country into an agricultural powerhouse.
On the other hand, Ciudad del Este would emerge as one of the largest commercial centers on the planet, selling imported products that did not exist on the Brazilian market.
There is no doubt: the construction of the Friendship Bridge, from 1956, and the Itaipu power plant, between 1975 and 1991, shaped relations between Brazil and Paraguay as we know them today.
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