ABSTRACT
This presentation aims to highlight the historical importance of the Bridge over Lake Maracaibo (or General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge) (1957–1962) within the framework of the cable-stayed bridge work by Riccardo Morandi, as well as its main structural and constructive contributions. This was the first modern cable-stayed bridge with multiple spans, and one of the longest in the world for many years. The result of an international competition won by the Morandi team, its design, calculation and construction was executed by a range of international and national companies, while its construction marked an important milestone for innovation in bridge building in general. Currently, after almost 60 years standing, and following the collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa, maintaining the structure is more important than ever, due to what it represents for the economy of Venezuela and for the history of bridge construction.
