The crossing over Río Portugués where the current bridge is located was a ford until 1842, when the first bridge, a wooden bridge, was built.La Carretera Central - Su Historia. Juan E. Castillo. Revista de Obras Publicas de Puerto Rico. Year VII. Issue 6. June 1930. p. 143. Accessed 1 August 2020. The bridge that replaced the wooden bridge dates from the 19th century when Carretera Central was built to connect the city of Ponce to the city of San Juan. It is a component of said historic road. The replacement Puente La Milagrosa was built in 1868 under the direction of Spanish engineer Miguel Martínez de Campos y Antón (b. Madrid 30 November 1839 - d. 20 November 1906).Ingenieros de Caminos en Puerto Rico: 1866-1898. Fernando Sáenz Ridruejo. "Anuario de Estudios Atlanticos." . Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (2009). No 55. p. 338. Accessed 31 July 2020. It was rebuilt starting in 1990,National Bridge Inventory Data: Puerto Rico, Ponce. James Baughn. National Bridge Inventory. 2018. Accessed 31 July 2020. and reopened in 1992Carmelo Rosario Natal. Ponce En Su Historia Moderna: 1945-2002. Published by Secretaría de Cultura y Turismo of the Government of the Autonomous Municipality of Ponce. Ponce, Puerto Rico. 2003. p. 69. as part of city-wide improvements in preparation for the celebration of its 300th anniversary.Luis F. Pumarada O'Neill. Los puentes históricos de Puerto Rico. Mayagüez, PR: Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo del Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez de la Universidad de Puerto Rico. 1991. page 34.Luis Antonio Rodriguez Vazquez. Vida, Pasion y Muerte a Orillas del Rio Baramaya. 2009. p. 89. This bridge over Río Portugués is one of seven bridges that cross Río Portugués in the city of Ponce and, built in 1868, it is also one of the oldest.
