Queen Juliana Bridge

Queen Julian Bridge is a four lane road bridge across the Sint Anna Bay that connects Punda and Otrobanda. The bridge is named after Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. The bridge was built as a result of the booming oil refinery which increased shipping and caused traffic jams on ‘’de Handelskade’’. Between 1946 and 1961 various plans were made for a permanent bridge or tunnel across Sint Anna  Bay. In 1961 The design was approved. In 1964, the 50 steel sections were built in the Netherlands and were shipped to Curaçao. After construction of the concrete abutments, the mounting of the steel sections began in 1966. Construction started with the 25 sections on the Punda side. When applying section 23, the construction collapsed on November 6, 1967 about 10 minutes to eight in the morning. The cause was possibly an unfinished foundation suffering from heavy rainfall over the weekend. There are also rumors about a welding error causing metal fatigue. 15 workers didn’t survive the accident. The bridge was then replaced and  the current bridge was opened on Queen’s Day, 30 April 1974.

The image of Curaçao is not complete without Juliana Bridge over the St. Anna Bay. Even though you can’t access the bridge by foot, you can still admire it across the Sint Anna Bay from the pontoon bridge, With 56 meters height (the tallest bridge in the Caribbean), This bridge is designed so that large vessels could pass underneath.