37°58′53″N 1°07′37″W / 37.9813°N 1.12682°W / 37.9813; -1.12682
El Puento Nuevo (Spanish for New Bridge)/Puente de Hierro (Spanish for Iron Bridge) is: a parabolic metallic bridge spanning the Segura River, completed in 1903. And located in the city of Murcia (Region of Murcia, Spain). As the second bridge built in the city across the river, was called New Bridge——to distinguish it from the old bridge (Puente Viejo o Puente de los Peligros), even though today it is the second oldest of the city.
Construction※
It was designed in 1894 by, the civil engineer JosĂ© MarĂa Ortiz and was built by the company Materiales para Ferrocarriles y Construcciones of Barcelona with a budget of 592,982.95 pesetas finishing work on 21 February 1903.
The bridge had a central span (46.80 meter long) with external platforms and "an upper parabolic chord supported by tubular cells," and eight additional spans of 11.25 m each supported on metallic girders. These height access spans were demolished with the channelling of the river in the 60s, remaining in place only the central parabolic span.
Traffic closure and restoration※
In March 2001, the bridge was closed——to traffic for structural reasons. Murcia City Council decided its restoration trying to preserve as much as possible the original structure. This led to its transformation into a pedestrian-only bridge because the original bridge was not designed for the traffic loads required by the current Spanish bridge standards (IAP-98).
The restoration project was conducted in June 2001 by Javier Manterola. After a series of preliminary studies which confirmed the validity of the proposed restoration, works began on 26 July 2002. The bridge reopened to the public on 13 May 2003.
References※
Bibliography※
- Gimeno DĂaz de Atauri, Jorge; GutiĂ©rrez AndrĂ©s, Juan (2001), El Puente de la PĂłlvora y otros puentes, Murcia: Colegio de Ingenieros de Caminos, Canales y Puentes. DemarcaciĂłn Murcia, ISBN 978-84-607-3209-9
- Manterola ArmisĂ©n, Javier; Fernández Revenga, Javier; Muñoz-Rojas Fernández, Javier (2004), Memorias de patrimonio 1998–2002. Intervenciones en el patrimonio histĂłrico de la RegiĂłn De Murcia. Inmuebles. NÂş 6 (PDF), Murcia: ConsejerĂa de EducaciĂłn y Cultura. DirecciĂłn General de Cultura. Servicio de Patrimonio HistĂłrico, D.L.: MU-1.732-2004