Integration Bridge

The Integration Bridge is a major cable-stayed road bridge linking Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil to Presidente Franco in Paraguay across the Paraná River. The Integration Bridge is the second major traffic connection between Brazil and Paraguay, spanning the Paraná River, between the towns of Presidente Franco (Paraguay) and Foz de Yguazu (Brazil). The new bridge provides a much-needed boost in capacity for cargo transport, easing the bottleneck of the Friendship Bridge and built to bypass central Ciudad del Este.

The bridge is 760 meters in total length with a 470-meter main free span—the longest cable-stayed main span in Latin America. It cost approximately R$463 million (US$84 million), financed by the Itaipu Binacional hydroelectric plant. It was officially opened in December 2025 by Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Santiago Peña of Paraguay, sadly one month after our visit. We would have been able to access the Brazil tripoint marker much quicker as it is very close to the other end of the bridge. I visited this area as part of the IBRG SATEX -25 expedition.

There has been a phased transition in the opening of the bridge and in September 2026 light vehicles and private cars (local residents only) to cross for the first time on a regular schedule. Smaller cargo vehicles travelling empty may use the Integration Bridge between 07:00 and 19:00. However, drivers must make the return journey with cargo via the Friendship Bridge. Full integration for all general private traffic continues to expand alongside completing access road infrastructure. This project forms part of a larger puzzle that includes the future Bioceanic Bridge, currently under construction, consolidating Paraguay as a regional logistics hub. On our visit the Paraguayan side appeared complete.

Click on map above to access Google Map location.

The Brazilian pylon reaches 190.17 meters, and the Paraguayan pylon stands at 185.04 meters

Paraguayan side

After leaving the Paraguay tripoint marker we walked to the Integration Bridge access point. The roads and buildings looked complete but were blocked off. We spoke to the personnel who were there and ultimately they arranged a lift for us to Ciudad del Este so we could cross into Brazil via the Friendship Bridge in order for us to bag the final tripoint marker.