The competition to design the bridge started in 1957 and was won by Riccardo Morandi, an Italian civil engineer.
According to eminent bridge engineer Michel Virlogeux:[REF] the Lake Maracaibo Bridge deserves to be part of the series of the most famous bridges over the world, with the Golden Gate Bridge, the bridge over the Firth of Forth, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Garabit Viaduct.