We’re talking, of course, about the 1812 Constitution Bridge over Cádiz Bay, which was inaugurated on September 24, 2015. Join us below as we take a look at its most notable features.
This colossal engineering feat connects the capital of Cádiz with the municipality of Puerto Real, and is the second bridge to span the bay.
Designed by Javier Manterola, a true institution in the industry, his 3,092 meters in length In total, they amount to a maximum height of 185 meters. This last feature, in particular, is one of its most astonishing characteristics: the deck, which is 36.8 meters wide, is situated 69 meters above the waterline, which means that we are looking at the the world's second-largest gauge (surpassed by just 1 meter by the Suez Canal Bridge).
The other major highlight is the central span of the structure. It is 540 meters long, and the bridge with the longest span in Spain (surpassing the Carlos Fernández Casado Bridge over the Barrios de Luna Reservoir in León, which is 440 meters long) and third in Europe in this regard.
All of this is divided into four major sections: two viaducts providing access to Cádiz and Puerto Real, one detachable section 150 meters long, which may be used in exceptional situations where ships require a greater clearance, and a cable-stayed span of 1,180 meters, consisting of 61 segments and 176 stay cables arranged in two cable planes.
The complexity of this structure is such that it has required specific construction systems, such as the hoist trolleys for the deck, which were designed specifically for this bridge. Construction, which began in 2008, has taken more than 100,000 m³ of concrete and 70,000 metric tons of steel, has cost 511 million euros and has even had more than 600 employees on site in a single day… What a milestone!
We'll leave you with this impressive time-lapse Regarding the construction and bracing of the main span:
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