Juscelino Kubitschek bridge

Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge (Ponte Juscelino Kubitschek), commonly called Ponte JK (JK Bridge), is a steel and concrete arch bridge across Lake Paranoá in Brasília, Brazil. It connects the eastern shore of the lake – where Lago Sul, Paranoá and Brasília International Airport are located – to Brasília's city center, via the Monumental Axis. Opened to traffic on December 15, 2002, its distinctive silhouette quickly became a Brasília landmark.

The bridge is named after President Juscelino Kubitschek, who served from 1956 to 1961 and is generally considered the main political figure to have supported the construction of the planned city of Brasília. It was designed by architect Alexandre Chan and structural engineer Mário Vila Verde.

Description
The bridge structure is 1200 m long, 24 m wide and has two three-lane carriageways in each direction and walkways fitted with guard-rails on either for cyclists and pedestrians, each 1.5 m wide, and three 240 m spans.

The main span structure has four supporting pillars standing on the Lake Paranoá lakebed; and the deck weight is supported by three 200 ft asymmetrical steel arches that crisscross diagonally.

The decks are suspended by steel cables alternating at each side of the deck, interlacing in a twisted plane. The entire structure has a total length of 1200 m, and was completed at a cost of US$56.8 million.

Awards
Alexandre Chan received the Gustav Lindenthal Medal for the bridge's project at the 2003 International Bridge Conference in Pittsburgh. This medal is awarded "for a single, recent outstanding achievement showing harmony with the environment, aesthetic merit and successful community participation".

The bridge was also awarded the 2003 Premio Abcem (ABCEM Award) for "Best Steel Work of the Year, Bridges and Highway Overpasses Category", granted by the Brazilian Metal Construction Association (Associação Brasileira da Construção Metálica, ABCEM).

In Popular Culture
The bridge makes an appearance in the 2014 animated film Rio 2. Where the main characters, Blu (Jesse Eisenberg) and Jewel (Anne Hathaway) are moving to the Amazon rainforest, their route cuts through Brasília and are nearly killed when a truck on the bridge almost hits them.