Deusto Bridge

Last updated
Deusto Bridge

Puente de Deusto
Abandoibarra6.jpg
Coordinates 43°16′N2°56′W / 43.27°N 2.94°W / 43.27; -2.94
Crosses Estuary of Bilbao
Locale Bilbao, Spain
ID number Q3396958
Characteristics
Total length500 metres (1,600 ft)
Width25 metres (82 ft)
History
Architect Ricardo Bastida
Ignacio de Rotaeche
José Ortiz de Artiñano
Location
Deusto Bridge

The Deusto Bridge (Spanish : Puente de Deusto) is a bascule bridge over the estuary of Bilbao. This bridge connects the districts of Abando and Deusto.

Contents

History

The bridge was inaugurated In December 1936, it had been commissioned to the engineers Ignacio de Rotaeche  [ es ] and José Ortiz de Artiñano  [ es ] in 1931. The bridge was built to connect the historic center of Bilbao with the newly incorporated districts of Deusto, Begoña. and Abando over the estuary.

The Deusto Bridge and the City Hall Bridge were designed similarly to those in Chicago to ensure the passage of ships. [1] During the mayoralty of Federico Moyúa, architect Ricardo Bastida was tasked with the construction of the bridges. Bastida studied cantilever and tilt bridges in Chicago and chose the Michigan Avenue Bridge as reference.

Engineers Ignacio de Rotaeche and José Ortiz de Artiñano together with architect Ricardo Bastida signed the initial project in January 1930. This project was approved on 23 July 1931 and construction began a year later. The bridge was inaugurated on December 7 and finished on 12 December 1936, after four years of work and two modifications.

The bridge was destroyed on 18 June 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and was rebuilt between 1938 and 1939 by the Francoist authorities. It reopened on 25 October 1939 under the name of Generalissimo Bridge (referring to Francisco Franco) during the mayoralty of José María Oriol Urquijo. It returned to its original name in 1979.

View of the Iberdrola Tower from the Deusto Bridge Puente de Deusto (30549247385).jpg
View of the Iberdrola Tower from the Deusto Bridge

Until 1992, stable traffic of ships was maintained, which made it necessary to open the bridge. Its last commercial opening was on 4 May 1995, which made way for a ship of the shipping company Pinillos. The construction of the Euskalduna Bridge  [ es ], with a clearance lower than that of the Deusto Bridge, prevented the passage of larger boats and made it unnecessary to open the bridge. The welding and definitive immobilization of the bridge were considered, and it was decided to keep the bridge active so that it could be opened for commemorations and festivities. The last opening was held in March 2008, which made way for the 28th edition of the Regata Ingenieros-Deusto  [ es ] rowing competition. [2]

In October 2008, the Bilbao City Council published its plan for a comprehensive restoration. The works, scheduled for the following year, were aimed at comprehensive sanitation, fine-tuning of the lifting machinery and installation of a new lighting system, as well as a change in the corresponding pedestrian pathway. In the study prior to the restoration, it was detected that the railing, designed by Ricardo Bastida, deteriorated poorly. The council opted for the restoration and replacement of the railing, which required replicas of it to be made. [3] The replacement has been made with identical elements made of stainless steel. The color is altered, from green to silver, and the handrail now houses a LED lighting system. The pavement of the bridge has been asphalted with a mixture of resin-based and aggregates in a pinkish tone, which ruled out the imitation of wood originally planned. [4]

Characteristics & specifications

The Michigan Avenue Bridge in Chicago served as the inspiration for the design of the Deusto Bridge. Michigan Ave Bridge 060415.jpg
The Michigan Avenue Bridge in Chicago served as the inspiration for the design of the Deusto Bridge.

The total length of the bridge is 500 metres (1,600 ft) with a span of 48 metres (157 ft), it narrows the channel of the estuary, which is approximately 71 metres (233 ft) with concrete buildings on each side, where the lifting mechanism is located. The clearance at high tide is 7.96 metres (26.1 ft). The bridge tilt until reaching a horizontal angle of 70º.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilbao</span> Municipality in Basque Country, Spain

Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the province of Biscay and in the Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the tenth largest city in Spain, with a population of 345,141 as of 2015. The Bilbao metropolitan area has 1,037,847 inhabitants, making it one of the most populous metropolitan areas in northern Spain; with a population of 875,552 the comarca of Greater Bilbao is the fifth-largest urban area in Spain. Bilbao is also the main urban area in what is defined as the Greater Basque region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euskotren Tranbia</span> Tram system in Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

Euskotren Tranbia is the brand under which the tramway networks in the cities of Vitoria-Gasteiz and Bilbao are run. The system in Bilbao started operations in 2002, and the one in Vitoria-Gasteiz in 2008. It is one of the four commercial divisions under which Euskotren operates. The infrastructure is owned by the public entity Euskal Trenbide Sarea and tracks use 1,000 mm narrow gauge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilbao metro</span> Rapid transit system in Bilbao, Spain

The Bilbao metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Bilbao and the region of Greater Bilbao. Lines 1 and 2 have a "Y" shape, as they transit both banks of the river Ibaizabal and then combine to form one line that ends in the south of Bilbao. Line 3 has a "V" shape connecting the municipality of Etxebarri with the Bilbao neighbourhood of Matiko; the apex of the "V" is Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo station, where all three current lines meet. The metro is connected with the Bilbao tram, Bilboko Aldiriak, Euskotren Trena, Feve, Renfe long-distance trains and Bilbao's bus station. All three lines use metre gauge.

Public holidays celebrated in Spain include a mix of religious, national and regional observances. Each municipality is allowed to have a maximum of 14 public holidays per year; a maximum of nine of these are chosen by the national government and at least two are chosen locally, including patronal festivals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deusto</span> District in Basque Country, Spain

Deusto, also known as Deustu in Basque and formerly known as San Pedro de Deusto, is one of the eight districts of Bilbao, (Spain). It is located on the right side of the Bilbao estuary, in the northwestern part of the city and bordering the estuary itself on the south and the southern hillside of Mount Artxanda and Mount Bandera on the north. Deusto was originally an elizate and also a municipality until 1925 when it was completely annexed by Bilbao in order to expand the free land available to the city. Deusto is known as the university district of the city as it is home to the University of Deusto and the Faculty of Economics and Business of the University of the Basque Country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abando</span> District in Basque Country, Spain

Abando, formerly known as San Vicente de Abando, is one of the eight districts of Bilbao, Basque Country (Spain). It covers most of the city's centre, located on the left bank of the estuary of Bilbao. It is the only district of Bilbao with all of its land completely urbanised. Abando was originally an elizate and also a municipality until 1876, when part of it was annexed to Bilbao, the rest of the elizate's municipal land was integrated into Bilbao in 1890. In 2016 the population was 50,903. Abando is the wealthiest district in Bilbao, with personal and family incomes being well above the citywide average.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zorrotzaurre</span>

Zorrotzaurre is an artificial island located within the Deusto district of Bilbao, Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indautxu</span> Quarter in Basque Country, Spain

Indautxu is a quarter of central Bilbao, Basque Country (Spain), located in the district of Abando. It is a relatively affluent neighbourhood and is most famous for the large number of private hospitals and clinics, the large Society of Jesus school and the Doña Casilda Iturrizar park, all located in the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilbao-Abando railway station</span> Railway station in Bilbao, Spain

The Abando Indalecio Prieto railway station, usually known simply as Bilbao-Abando and previously known as Estación del Norte is a terminal railway station in Bilbao, Basque Country (Spain). The name comes from Abando, the district in which the station is located, and Indalecio Prieto, who was Minister of Public Works during the Second Spanish Republic. The station serves as the terminus station for several long and medium distance services operated by Renfe as well as commuter rail services within the Bilbao metropolitan area operated by Cercanías. The station has direct access to Metro Bilbao and to the tram, as well as many local and regional bus lines. The railway station Bilbao-Concordia, operated by Renfe Feve is located in close proximity. After the construction of the high-speed line Basque Y is finished, Bilbao-Abando will serve as the western terminus, which will involve the creation of a completely new station replacing the current one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo (Bilbao metro)</span> Metro station in Bilbao, Spain

Zazpikaleak/Casco Viejo is a railway station in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. It is located in the historical neighborhood of Casco Viejo, in the district of Ibaiondo. It links the Bilbao metro rapid transit services with the Euskotren Trena commuter rail network. It is the main railway hub for trips between the metropolitan underground network and the railway services to Eibar, Gernika, Bermeo and San Sebastián as well as the Txorierri valley. The original metro station opened on 11 November 1995, and on 8 April 2017 in its current form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moyua (Bilbao metro)</span> Rapid transit station in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

Moyua is a station on lines 1 and 2 of the Bilbao metro. The station is located in the neighborhood of Abando, in the district with the same name. The station is located under the Moyua Plaza, named after Federico Moyúa, mayor of Bilbao during the early 20th century. It opened on 11 November 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lutxana (Bilbao metro)</span> Rapid transit station in Erandio, Basque Country, Spain

Lutxana is a station of line 1 of Metro Bilbao, also served by the Lutxana-Sondika shuttle operated by Euskotren Trena. It is located in the neighbourhood of Lutxana-Enekuri, in the municipality of Erandio. In its current inception, the station was opened on 11 November 1995. Since 2015, the station has also been served by Euskotren Trena suburban trains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Urbinaga (Bilbao metro)</span> Rapid transit station in Sestao, Basque Country, Spain

Urbinaga is a station on line 2 of the Bilbao metro. It is located in the neighborhood of Simondrogas, in the municipality of Sestao, next to the Sestao water treatment plant and in proximity to the Lasesarre football stadium. It was opened on 13 April 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arenal Bridge</span> Bridge in Bilbao

The Arenal Bridge is a reinforced concrete bridge in Bilbao, Spain.

Ricardo Bastida was a Basque architect who was instrumental behind many important buildings in Bilbao and Madrid. In 1923 he proposed a plan of extension of Bilbao to the mouth of Abra, a visionary project that would result in the current metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Gehry Bridge</span> Bridge

The Frank Gehry Bridge is a bridge in Bilbao that connects Deusto and Zorrotzaurre. Its name is a tribute to Canadian-born American architect Frank Gehry, author of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Serrador Bridge</span> Bridge in Santa Cruz de Tenerife

General Serrador Bridge is a bridge across the Barranco de Santos in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, Spain.

Galcerán Bridge is a bridge in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. Conceived in 1904, it was constructed between 1926 and 1928, and officially opened on 19 October 1928 during a visit of Miguel Primo de Rivera to Tenerife. It was the third bridge to span the Barranco de Santos. It was refurbished in 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikel Lejarza (producer)</span>

Mikel Lejarza Ortiz is a Spanish audiovisual producer. He became the president of A3 Films in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Hall Bridge</span> Bridge in Bilbao, Spain

The City Hall Bridge, formerly known as the Begoña Bridge, is a bascule bridge on the estuary of Bilbao, connecting the districts of Gazteleku on the right and Abando on the left.

References

  1. García, A. (28 April 2008). Deia (ed.). "El puente de Deusto afronta su primera reforma integral tras 70 años de servicio". Archived from the original on 22 November 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  2. Uriarte, Iñaki (December 2006). "Los puentes levadizos de Bilbao" (PDF). Periódico Bilbao. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  3. Abajo, Teresa (16 November 2008). El Correo (ed.). "Luces y piso de madera para el puente de Deusto" . Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  4. Abajo, Teresa (15 November 2009). El Correo (ed.). "El puente de Deusto se viste de plata. La nueva barandilla que se construye en un taller de Bolueta es una réplica de la original de Bastida, aunque destierra el color verde e introduce iluminación en el pasamanos" . Retrieved 15 November 2009.