The Guadiana International Bridge ( es, Puente Internacional del Guadiana; pt, Ponte Internacional do Guadiana) is a bridge that crosses the

Guadiana River The Guadiana River (, also , , ), or Odiana, is an international river defining a long stretch of the Portugal-Spain border, separating Extremadura and Andalusia (Spain) from Alentejo and Algarve (Portugal). The river's basin extends from the e ...

connecting southern

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

(town of

Ayamonte Ayamonte (; pt, Aiamonte) is a town and municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Huelva, Andalusia. It is located near the border with Portugal on the mouth of the Guadiana River. According to the 2015 census, the city had a population ...

) and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

(town of

Castro Marim Castro Marim () is a town and a municipality in the southern region of Algarve, in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 6,747, in an area of 300.84 km2. The current Mayor is Francisco Amaral, elected by the Social Democratic Party. The mun ...

). It is the southernmost land crossing on the

Portugal–Spain border The Portugal–Spain border, also referred to as "The Stripe" ( es, La Raya, pt, A Raia, gl, A Raia, mwl, La Raia), is one of the oldest borders in the world. The current demarcation is almost identical to that defined in 1297 by the Treaty of ...

. 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 A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, normally forming a fan-like pattern o ...

, with a deck of

prestressed concrete Prestressed concrete is a form of concrete used in construction. It is substantially "prestressed" ( compressed) during production, in a manner that strengthens it against tensile forces which will exist when in service. Post-tensioned concreted i ...

. The bridge was designed by the Portuguese Structural Engineer Professor José Luis Câncio Martins on behalf of Huarte S.A. (now

Obrascón Huarte Lain Obrascón Huarte Lain, S.A. (); branded as OHLA Progress Enablers since July 2021, is a Spanish multinational construction and civil engineering company. The company is involved in infrastructure and commercial property construction, homebuilding ...

) and

Teixeira Duarte Teixeira Duarte, S.A. is the company that leads a large conglomerate with more than 11,000 workers, present in 22 countries, in 6 activity sectors, achieving in 2019 a turnover of 877 million Euros. Teixeira Duarte, S.A. is listed at Eurone ...

. 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. 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 The international E-road network is a numbering system for roads in Europe developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). The network is numbered from E1 up and its roads ...

E1.

History

In the 1960s

and

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.

References

External links

* {{Structurae, id=20004890, title=Guadiana International Bridge Image:Guadiana Mouth.jpg, Aerial view of the Guadiana mouth. The bridge is at top right Image:Puente Internacional 395.jpg, Looking upstream from water level Image:Puente sobre el Guadiana.JPG, Looking upstream from the Spanish bank Image:Puente Internacional 416.jpg, Looking downstream from water level International bridges Road bridges in Spain Bridges in Andalusia Cable-stayed bridges in Portugal Bridges completed in 1991 Portugal–Spain border crossings Cable-stayed bridges in Spain Bridges over the Guadiana River 1991 establishments in Europe

History

See also

References

External links