MAA GROUP Consulting Engineering

An important bridge for Costa Rica’s development

In March 2000, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the R.O.C. awarded RSEA and MAA Taiwan the planning and design turnkey contracts for the Tempisque Bridge. The bridge spans over the Tempisque River and connects a tourist attraction area, Nicoya Peninsula, to mainland Costa Rica, significantly cutting travel time to the capital San José.

An elegant cable stayed design

The 780 m long and 13.3 m wide bridge includes two design sections: a 260 m cable stayed bridge on the west side, and a 520 m composite box-girder bridge on the east side. The cable stayed bridge section spans over the deepest part of river with a height clearance of about 10 m as required for safe shipping navigation. The composite box-girder bridge stretches over the shallow side (east) of the river and maintains a clearance of at least 5 m to clear the high tides of the river. Since the site of Tempisque Bridge is located in a strong earthquake-prone zone, the structures are designed to comply with the Costa Rican Seismic Code.

Scope of work

• Construction planning
• Construction design