the iron mass that is a world jewel and turned 110 years old, but it does not work

Originally designed to transport people and goods between the shores of the Isla Maciel neighborhoods (Dock Sud, Avellaneda) and La Boca (City of Buenos Aires), the La Boca Ferry Bridge has just turned 110 years old. This iron mass – which is a Buenos Aires icon – nevertheless arrives at this anniversary without working.

Between January and October 2023 It functioned for tourist, educational and cultural purposes. Then the “operating system” went out of operation and right now there are no details about when it could cross the banks again. However, from National Roads they informed Clarion that the bridge “does not have any structural problem.”

Although for the people of Buenos Aires it is a classic and a postcard of the City, this ferry bridge is quite a curiosity. Is about one of the eight ferries still standing in the world. Five of them are fully operational; They are those located in England (Newport), in Germany (Rendsburg and Oste Hemmoor), in Spain (Vizcaya) and in France (Rochefort Martrou).

Those that do not work are two others located in England (Middlesbrough and Warrington) and the one here. It is estimated that There were about 20 ferry bridges around the world.

The porteño also has a peculiarity: Unesco awarded it a Blue Shield. It is a protective emblem established in the 1954 Hague Convention to mark cultural sites to provide protection from attacks due to armed conflict.

The 8 bridges, including the one in La Boca, were built between the late 1800s and the first decades of the 1900s; generally, to assist in the logistics of local ports, transporting people, cars, animals and merchandise. Of course with different dimensions, depending on the edges that had to be joined.

For example, the one in Vizcaya used a traction system using cables and pulleys that was powered by a steam boiler located in one of the two towers of the bridge. But it currently has 12 electric motors that move the basket (or basket). It is a vital tourist attraction for this area of ​​Spain; It crosses the Ría de Bilbao and empties into the Bay of Biscay.

The gondola has the capacity to carry 6 vehicles and 200 passengers. It also has two elevators, one on each side of the bridge, which allow access to the panoramic walkways located 50 meters high. It was the first ferry bridge in the world, so its construction has some peculiarities; For example, pieces of iron are joined together by red-hot rivets, since welding techniques were still underdeveloped.

Over the years, the growth of trade and the changes that occurred in the respective ports, many of these bridges became obsolete. Both Vizcaya and the French Rochefort Martrou (crosses the Charente River) and the German Oste Hemmoor (on the Oste River) have an intense tourist movement. In summer the Oste Hemmoor has food trucks at the foot and lounge chairs to enjoy the views.

Returning to “our” ferry bridge, from National Roads they informed Clarion that “it does not present any structural problem. The work carried out at the time did not contemplate the change of the operating system that controls its operation; That is why in October 2023 it stopped making tourist crossings.”

“The project to renew the operating system – synthetically, it is what allows the machinery and systems to operate in automatic mode – is subject to the agency’s budget availability,” they indicated.

ACUMAR, together with the former Ministry of Tourism of the Nation, organizations of the City and Municipality of Avellaneda, intervene in the cultural project and the implementation of the two interpretation centers, located on both banks (which are in force). Through the pedestrian passage of the Nicolás Avellaneda Bridge you can go from one side of the Riachuelo to the other. While the barge is not working, Another option is to cross with the boats that are in Vuelta de Rocha.

From Fundación x La Boca – a non-profit organization that has been working for more than 20 years on the dissemination of the ferry, among other symbols of the neighborhood – they share with Clarion the history of the bridge: they say that the work It was inaugurated under the Government of Roque Sáenz Peña, on Saturday, May 30, 1914.

“Until that moment, workers went to and from their jobs – shipyards, coal plants, a power plant and meat processing plants, among others – by boat. The ferry’s hanging barge not only allowed people and merchandise to cross, but also carts and even trams,” they explained. Which improved the mobility of a purely manufacturing area.

The most famous prodigal son of La Boca, Benito Quinquela Martín, transformed it into an emblem; They say that it was the plastic artist who gave it global significance.

“In 1960 the bridge was deactivated and put into disuse. And in 1994, after its dismantling was ordered, the residents, together with the Buenos Aires legislators, prevented its disappearance, recognizing its heritage and emblematic importance for the neighborhood,” the Foundation says. From that moment on they fight to keep him upright.

Right now, the Foundation is promoting the lighting and environmental improvement project.