The Puente Romano (
Spanish for ''Roman Bridge'') is a
Roman bridge over the
Guadiana River at
Mérida in southwest Spain.
It is the world's longest (in terms of distance) surviving bridge from
ancient times, having once featured an estimated overall length of 755 m with 62 spans.
Today, there are 60 spans (three of which are buried on the southern bank) on a length of 721 m between the
abutment
An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...
s. Including the approaches, the structure totals 790 m. It is still in use, but was pedestrianized in 1991 as road traffic was redirected to use the nearby
Lusitania Bridge
The Lusitania Bridge is a bridge in Mérida, Spain.
History
The bridge was built over the Guadiana River in 1991 by a Spanish consortium to take the road traffic from the Romano bridge. The architect was Santiago Calatrava. The bridge takes i ...
.
Annexed to the bridge is the
Alcazaba of Mérida
The Alcazaba of Mérida is a ninth-century Alcazaba, Muslim fortification in Mérida, Spain, Mérida, Spain. Like other historical edifices in the city, it is part of the UNESCO Heritage List.
Located near the Roman bridge over the Guadiana ri ...
, a Moorish fortification built in 835.
Close to the remains of the
Acueducto de los Milagros
The Acueducto de los Milagros ( en, Aqueduct of the Miracles) is a Roman aqueduct in Mérida (Badajoz), Spain. It was built during the first century AD to supply water from the Proserpina Dam to the ancient Roman colony of ''Emerita Augusta''. A ...
, there exists another Roman bridge at Mérida, the much smaller
Puente de Albarregas.
See also
*
List of Roman bridges
This is a list of Roman bridges. The Romans were the world's first major bridge builders. The following list constitutes an attempt to list all known surviving remains of Roman bridges.
A Roman bridge in the sense of this article includes an ...
*
Roman architecture
Ancient Roman architecture adopted the external language of classical Greek architecture for the purposes of the ancient Romans, but was different from Greek buildings, becoming a new architectural style. The two styles are often considered on ...
*
Roman engineering
The ancient Romans were famous for their advanced engineering accomplishments. Technology for bringing running water into cities was developed in the east, but transformed by the Romans into a technology inconceivable in Greece. The architecture ...
Notes
Sources
*
External links
*
Traianus– Technical investigation of Roman public works
Roman bridges in Spain
Bridges in Mérida, Spain
Deck arch bridges
Stone bridges in Spain
History of Extremadura
Bridges over the Guadiana River
{{Spain-bridge-struct-stub