Since time immemorial, the raging rivers of Patagonia have been one of the greatest challenges for the region’s inhabitants. On the one hand, they brought the vitality that gave them the energy to face a new day in this region. But on the other hand, they divided the land, separating families and communities or hindering daily work.
Here is a brief overview of what was happening in Neuquén.
The first public passenger service across the Neuquén River on record was provided by ferries that carried passengers, livestock, and later automobiles. Local authorities granted numerous concessions in an effort to keep both banks of the river connected.
Around 1899, the extension of the Gran Ferrocarril del Sur de Buenos Aires reached the station that would later become Cipolletti. To continue on into Neuquén province, a steel railway bridge was built between 1899 and 1902 to cross the Neuquén River. It can be seen in the background of the photo.
After the railroad connected Neuquén Station to the Confluencia settlement, the territory’s capital was moved to the area, and the city of Neuquén was founded in 1904.
Unfortunately, the railroad bridge does not solve the problem. The bridge had no roadway, so neither animals nor cars could cross. People who wanted to cross had to walk from sleeper to sleeper between the tracks for about 400 meters. Furthermore, anyone crossing had to assume the risks, and the railroad company was not liable.
At that time, vehicles and pedestrians crossed the river using boats and canoes. In the 1930s, the service became overwhelmed by the growing population. Construction of a road bridge began in 1935, and the bridge opened in 1937. This alleviated the situation at the time, but two more bridges were later built.
It may not seem like much, but jumping from a raft to a pedestrian bridge of that size is no small feat.
This is what Neuquén looked like on the day of the opening of its first pedestrian bridge.
