The Deusto Bridge () is a

bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...

over the

estuary of Bilbao The Estuary of Bilbao (Spanish: ''Ría de Bilbao'' / Basque: ''Bilboko Itsasadarra'') lies at the common mouth of the rivers Nervion, Ibaizabal and Cadagua, which drain most of Biscay and part of Alava in the Basque Country, Spain. In this insta ...

. This bridge connects the districts of

Abando 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 ...

and

Deusto Deusto, also known as Deustu in Basque and formerly known as ''San Pedro de Deusto'', is one of the eight districts of Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption ...

History

The bridge was inaugurated In December 1936, it had been commissioned to the engineers and in 1931. The bridge was built to connect the historic center of Bilbao with the newly incorporated districts of

Deusto Deusto, also known as Deustu in Basque and formerly known as ''San Pedro de Deusto'', is one of the eight districts of Bilbao ) , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = 275 px , map_caption ...

Begoña Begoña or more puristically but also more rarely spelled ''Begoina'', meaning 'the lower foot' (of Mount Artxanda), is a historical municipality of Biscay ( Basque Country, Spain) which was incorporated into Bilbao in 1925. Originally it include ...

. and

over the estuary. The Deusto Bridge and the

City Hall Bridge The City Hall Bridge (; ), formerly known as the Begoña Bridge (), is a bascule bridge on the estuary of Bilbao, connecting the districts of on the right and Abando on the left. History At the end of the 1920s, Bilbao expanded from the estu ...

were designed similarly to those in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

to ensure the passage of ships. During the mayoralty of

Federico Moyúa Federico de Moyúa y Salazar (17 June 1873 - 7 March 1939) was a Spanish politician who served as the mayor of Bilbao. Biography Moyúa was a member of a wealthy liberal family, both his father and grandfather served in the Third Carlist War. H ...

, architect

Ricardo Bastida Ricardo Bastida (15 August 1879 in Bilbao, Spain – 15 October 1953) 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 v ...

was tasked with the construction of the bridges. Bastida studied

cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...

and

tilt bridges A tilt bridge is a type of moveable bridge which rotates about fixed endpoints rather than lifting or bending, as with a drawbridge. The tilting Gateshead Millennium Bridge spanning the River Tyne between Gateshead on the south bank and Newcast ...

in Chicago and chose the

Michigan Avenue Bridge The DuSable Bridge (formerly the Michigan Avenue Bridge) is a bascule bridge that carries Michigan Avenue across the main stem of the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States. The bridge was proposed in the early 20th century as ...

as reference. Engineers Ignacio de Rotaeche and

José Ortiz de Artiñano José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...

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 The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...

and was rebuilt between 1938 and 1939 by the

Francoist Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spani ...

authorities. It reopened on 25 October 1939 under the name of ''Generalissimo Bridge'' (referring to

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

) during the mayoralty of José María Oriol Urquijo. It returned to its original name in 1979. Puente_de_Deusto_(30549247385)

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 , 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 rowing competition. In October 2008, the

Bilbao City Council The Bilbao City Council () is the ayuntamiento of Bilbao (Spain). Its headquarter, the Bilbao City Hall, is located in the Ernesto Erkoreka Plaza. The city council is made up of an executive body and a normative municipal plenary. The executive b ...

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

, deteriorated poorly. The council opted for the restoration and replacement of the railing, which required replicas of it to be made. 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 A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...

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.

Characteristics & specifications

The total length of the bridge is with a span of , it narrows the channel of the estuary, which is approximately with concrete buildings on each side, where the lifting mechanism is located. The clearance at high tide is . The bridge tilt until reaching a horizontal angle of 70º.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Patrimonio Industrial Vasco. El Puente de Deusto
Estuary of Bilbao Bridges completed in 1939

History

Characteristics & specifications

See also

References

External links