The use of CEMEX reinforced concrete to construct Mexico's new “Puente La Unidad” bridge will enable it to have a useful life of approximately 50 years.
CEMEX supplied 34,000 cubic meters of concrete for the project built on the Gulf of Mexico. Spanning a length of 3.2 km, it is considered the second longest bridge in Mexico and the fifth longest in Latin America, providing the new connection between the Mexican state of Campeche and the Yucatan Peninsula.
CEMEX
This infrastructure project will transport around 5,000 vehicles per day and benefit the region’s tourism, industrial and commercial sectors.
The bridge is built to withstand the heavy vehicular loads and the extreme weather conditions of this coastal area of Mexico. For example, due to the bridge’s direct exposure to the sea, various concretes were used to provide high mechanical resistance for the project.
Overall, various innovative concrete technologies were used to overcome the project’s challenges. To protect the structure from corrosion and avoid expansion from the penetration of sulfates, CEMEX Duramax concrete was used for its durability, since it provides a useful life of approximately 50 years. CEMEX high-strength Fortis concrete was also used to achieve high resistance, and Ingenia was used to improve the concrete’s workability and enable an efficient project management.
CEMEX
“For this important project, we contributed all of our experience to create an engineering design that would facilitate the durability and resistance objectives of our client Consorcio Puente La Unidad,” says Alejandro Varés, vice president of infrastructure and government of CEMEX Mexico. “We also suggested the use of our Promptis accelerated-strength concrete for more efficient time management and stripping and our evolution self-compacting concrete to improve the finish of the beams and facilitate the placement of piles and footings, as well as the installation of a concrete plant dedicated to the project."
