Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge

Three-arch bridge across Lake Paranoá, an instant landmark

The Ponte JK, opened in 2002, crosses Lake Paranoá in three diagonal steel arches that lean alternately left and right — the most photographed modern landmark in Brasília. The 1,200-metre bridge connects the eastern Pilot Plan with the Lago Sul residential area.

The best views are from Pontão do Lago Sul at sunset, when the bridge silhouettes against an orange western sky. By night the arches are floodlit. Driveable, walkable, and good for a slow approach by tourist boat.

things to do landmark
A story
Inaugurated in 2002, the JK Bridge was Brasília's first new monument added to the original Pilot Plan, and it won the prestigious Gustav Lindenthal Medal for outstanding bridge design. The three asymmetric arches sweep diagonally across the deck in a way no other bridge does — they appear to leap from one bank to the other, then back again, like a stone skimming the water.