Iguazu Falls walkway withstands flows up to 46 million liters

The work, started in 1992 and completed in 1993, uses foundations called root piles, which are inserted into boreholes that penetrate the rock and receive steel reinforcement and cement injected under pressure. According to Vinicius Lorenzi, engineering director at Fungeo, this technique anchors the structure to the riverbed, allowing it to absorb large forces.

During construction, the Iguaçu River had to be temporarily diverted. The first diversion attempt failed when the containment structure was swept away by a flood, taking equipment but leaving the concrete intact. The team then carried out a new diversion a few kilometers from the falls, drying the riverbed to install the foundations.

The walkway’s safety is monitored periodically through inspections and topographic prisms that detect displacements of a few millimeters. According to the concessionaire Urbia+Cataratas, no movement has been observed in the pillars since monitoring began. After each flood, structural engineers assess the condition of the work; visitor access is only authorized when the flow drops below 8 million liters per second and a technical report confirms the structure’s integrity.

Source: Portal do Triângulo – https://portaldotriangulo.com.br/por-que-a-passarela-das-cataratas-do-iguacu-nao-e-levada-pela-agua-construcao-foi-feita-para-suportar-vazao-de-milhoes-de-litros-por-segundo