Why Architects Built This Road Bridge Circular Instead Of Straight?

The Laguna Garzón Bridge , located in Uruguay, is a bridge famous for its unusual circular shape.

Most bridges are pretty straight forward, but this one is making heads turn ‘round. It may have a strange silhouette, but there’s a reason behind the unique design.
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On the bridge’s unusual circular design, its architect Rafael Viñoly has a perfectly logical and functional explanation: the curved design will force drivers to slow down the speed of their cars while also prove an opportunity to enjoy the panoramic views of this amazing landscape. The circular shape splits the lines into two semicircles and it is one of the smartest methods to prevent speeding accidents. The bridge deters dangerous speeding by adding curves to a mile-long straightway road.

The Laguna Garzón Bridge took 12 months to complete and opened in late 2015. It is located near popular resorts Punta del Este and José Ignacio.

The bridge stretches across a lagoon, creating a “lagoon inside a lagoon” where people can swim, fish or sightsee.  Pedestrian walkways are located on both sides of the traffic lanes, encouraging tourists to use the bridge for recreational purposes, and stay above the water at a unique point of view.

Before the stunning circular structure was built, the only way people could travel from one town to the other was by loading cars, one-by-one, on to rafts and floating them across, and during windy or stormy days it remained closed.
The poor connection has kept the region of Rocha away from further developments compared to what Maldonado has been experiencing in the last decades. But now, Laguna Garzón Bridge provides a crossing for more than 1,000 vehicles each day.