Paraná Floods: Bridges Open, River Crossings Closed

Both border bridges are open. At the 23:20 measurement on October 14, Guia 3 probes recorded traffic flowing on the Friendship Bridge (Foz–Ciudad del Este) and the Tancredo Neves Bridge (Foz–Puerto Iguazú), in both directions, with no sections closed. Live wait times are available at bridge queue.

What closed: river crossings

• Paraguay: the National Directorate of Migration temporarily deactivated 14 river border control posts with Argentina and Brazil, because ferry and boat services were suspended due to the flood. In our region, the affected post is Tres Fronteras in Presidente Franco, the boat crossing at the confluence of the rivers. The others are in Itapúa, Misiones and Ñeembucú. Reopening depends on the river dropping and has no set date.
• Argentina: in Puerto Iguazú, the Naval Prefecture suspended boat tours, recreational navigation and border traffic on the river since 12/10.

Those planning to cross by boat should use the bridges.

How the river is doing

According to the Paraguayan National Emergency Secretariat, the Paraná reached 120.99 m elevation in Ciudad del Este, above the 118 m that authorities consider a safe level for homes. In Ciudad del Este and Hernandarias, hundreds of families living in low-lying areas along the river and the Acaray-mí stream were evacuated. The commercial micro-downtown and the bridges are at high elevation.

The two rivers that form the flood are showing peak signs: Itaipu released 21,040 m³/s on 13/10 (ONS), the highest volume of this flood, and the Iguaçu River reached 15,800 m³/s at the Cataratas at noon on 14/10 and began to drop at night. Paraná gauges have not transmitted since 13/10; follow them at border weather.

Sources: Paraguayan National Directorate of Migration (via 1000 Notícias), SEN of Paraguay (via La Nación), Argentine Naval Prefecture, ONS, ANA and Guia 3's own measurement.