Guadiana International Bridge

Guadiana International Bridge
Coordinates 37°14′15″N 7°25′08″W / 37.23750°N 7.41889°W / 37.23750; -7.41889
Carries 4 lanes of Via do Infante de Sagres A22 motorway (Portugal) / Autopista del Quinto Centenario A-49 Motorway (Spain)
Crosses Guadiana River
Locale Portugal-Spain border:
– Right/West bank of the Guadiana (Portuguese Side): Castro Marim, Algarve
– Left/East bank of the Guadiana (Spanish Side): Ayamonte, Andalucia
Official name Guadiana International Bridge
Characteristics
Design cable-stayed bridge, with a deck of prestressed concrete
Total length 666 m (2,185.0 ft)
Longest span 324 m (1,063.0 ft)
Clearance below 20 m (65.6 ft)
History
Opened 1991 (1991)
Statistics
Daily traffic Vehicles only
Toll Free on both sides, unless continuing on A22 after crossing into Portugal

The Guadiana International Bridge (Spanish: Puente Internacional; Portuguese: Ponte Internacional) is a bridge that crosses the Guadiana River connecting southern Spain (town of Ayamonte) and Portugal (town of Castro Marim). It is the southernmost land crossing on the Portugal–Spain border. It is not split evenly between the two countries, a greater share of it situated in Portugal. Completed in 1991, its structural type is a cable-stayed bridge, with a deck of prestressed concrete. The bridge was designed by the Portuguese Structural Engineer Professor José Luis Câncio Martins on behalf of Huarte S.A. (now Obrascón Huarte Lain) and Teixeira Duarte. The bridge is open to vehicles only. It is the third longest bridge in Portugal and one of the longest in Spain.

The bridge is 666 metres long with the central span between the towers being 324 metres. The deck stands 20 metres above the river, allowing the navigation of ships of deep draft. The two towers of the bridge are 95 and 96 metres tall, respectively.[1] The Spanish side tower rests on an artificial island built on the riverbed, while the pillar on the Portuguese side is on land.

The bridge connects the Via do Infante de Sagres A22 motorway (Portugal) to the Autopista del Quinto Centenario A-49 Motorway (Spain), and is part of the European route E01.

History


In the 1960s Portugal and Spain conducted studies to determine if a bridge in the area was possible. These began in 1963 and ended in 1985 with the signing of an agreement between the two countries.

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See also

References

  1. ↑ Nicolas Janberg, Chief Editor (1994-10-15). "Guadiana International Bridge | Structurae". En.structurae.de. Retrieved 2014-07-23.

External links

Coordinates: 37°14′15″N 7°25′08″W / 37.23750°N 7.41889°W / 37.23750; -7.41889

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, February 15, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.