Amposta Suspension Bridge
Record: 134 m
Height Record: 24 m
Main Span Record: 134 m
The Amposta Suspension Bridge – the second bridge in the world of this type, after the Brooklyn Bridge in New York.
The Amposta suspension transponder bridge (cat. Pont penjant d’Amposta) is a bridge over the Ebro, located in the city of Amposta, in the region of Montsià (cat. Montsià), Tarragona province.
The construction of this bridge began in 1915 and was completed in 1921. It was designed by engineer Jose Eugenio Ribera and did not have an official opening. It was the second suspension bridge in the world built of reinforced concrete, after the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, which it was inspired by.
The height of the bridge is 24 meters, the total length is 134 meters. It is characterized by two stone pillars in the form of a triumphal arch in the architectural style of historicism on each bank of the river and a metal structure supported by cables.
There are two main types of cables: those that form a catenary and 10 on each side rise to the posts, and perpendicular cables that act as spacers for most of the center of the bridge.
The surface of the bridge is about 8-10 m wide and there is a road for vehicles, one lane in each direction, and two sidewalks. Large stone blocks-pillars have three registers of height: the lower one, from the river bank to the circulation tract, with a semicircular arch; the second – with an almost elliptical pointed arch; and the third, with upper crowns, three central openings and royal and municipal coats of arms at the top and between two quasi-towers.
The bridge replaced an old boat station, which until then was the only way to cross the river near Amposta.
The bridge is located on the road from Barcelona to Valencia and was built at the initiative of the city council, headed by the mayor Juan Palau y Miralles, with the support of the MP Agusti Carol y Subiratz Tortosa. The first project was rejected in 1907, and work began only in 1915. The laying of the first stone took place on 15 August.
In 1938, during the Civil War, the bridge was attacked by two Italian aircrafts, which were part of the army of the dictator Franco. It was reopened on October 4, 1939. Reinforcement work was carried out here in 1957, and the last major work was carried out in the period from 2007 to 2009.
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