This article is about the bridge in Hormigueros, Puerto Rico. For the former railway station near Adelaide, South Australia, see Torrens Bridge railway station.
Historic bridge in Hormigueros municipality, Puerto Rico
The Torréns Bridge (Spanish: Puente Torréns) is a historic bridge over the Rosario River in Hormigueros municipality, Puerto Rico. It was built in 1878 in a beam bridge structure with lattice girders and transverse joists, a design unique in the later territory of the United States. It is named for Modesto Torréns Morales, mayor of Hormigueros from 1875 to 1879, during a period when the municipality advocated for improved transportation linkages from the settlement of Hormigueros to the rest of the island. Improvement of the difficult Rosario River crossing (Paso de las Nieves) on the road from the town to the main highway south of the river was seen as critical to economic development, especially after Hormigueros municipality separated from San Germán in 1874. In 1898 during the Spanish–American War, the Torréns Bridge was captured by the U.S. Army to aid its advance during the Battle of Hormigueros and subsequent march on Mayagüez.[1]
^The bridge's name is presented here without the accent on "Torréns" in conformance with the usage in the bridge's National Register nomination form[1] and Weekly List announcement of listing.[2]
