Deusto Bridge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Deusto Bridge Puente de Deusto
Crosses	Estuary of Bilbao
Locale	Bilbao, Spain
ID number	Q3396958
Characteristics
Total length	500 metres (1,600 ft)
Width	25 metres (82 ft)
History
Architect	Ricardo Bastida Ignacio de Rotaeche José Ortiz de Artiñano

The Deusto Bridge (which means Puente de Deusto in Spanish) is a special kind of bridge called a bascule bridge. This means it can open up to let ships pass underneath! It crosses the estuary of Bilbao and connects two areas of the city: Abando and Deusto.

History of the Deusto Bridge

The Deusto Bridge was officially opened in December 1936. Engineers Ignacio de Rotaeche [es] and José Ortiz de Artiñano [es] were asked to design it in 1931. The main goal was to link the old part of Bilbao with new areas like Deusto, Begoña, and Abando across the estuary.

The Deusto Bridge and the nearby City Hall Bridge were designed to look like bridges in Chicago. This special design allowed large ships to pass through easily. Architect Ricardo Bastida was in charge of building these bridges. He studied different types of bridges in Chicago, especially the Michigan Avenue Bridge, and used it as his main idea.

Engineers Ignacio de Rotaeche and José Ortiz de Artiñano, along with architect Ricardo Bastida, signed the first plans in January 1930. The project was approved in July 1931, and construction started a year later. The bridge opened on December 7, 1936, after four years of work.

Sadly, the bridge was destroyed on June 18, 1937, during a war in Spain. But it was rebuilt quickly between 1938 and 1939. It reopened on October 25, 1939, and was called the Generalissimo Bridge for a while. In 1979, it got its original name, Deusto Bridge, back.

View of the Iberdrola Tower from the Deusto Bridge

Until 1992, many ships used to pass under the bridge, so it had to open often. Its last commercial opening was on May 4, 1995, for a ship from the Pinillos company. Later, the Euskalduna Bridge was built with a lower height. This meant larger boats could no longer pass, so the Deusto Bridge didn't need to open as much.

Even though it doesn't open for ships often, the city decided to keep the bridge working. This way, it can still open for special events and celebrations. The last time it opened was in March 2008. It opened for the 28th rowing competition called the Regata Ingenieros-Deusto [es].

In October 2008, the Bilbao City Council decided to give the bridge a big makeover. The work started the next year. They cleaned it thoroughly, fixed the opening machinery, and added new lights. They also changed the walking paths for people.

During the study before the restoration, they found that the original railings, designed by Ricardo Bastida, were in bad shape. The council decided to fix and replace them. They made new railings that looked exactly the same but were made of strong stainless steel. The new railings are silver instead of green and have cool LED lights built into them. The bridge's road surface was also changed to a pinkish color.

Bridge Features and Design

The Michigan Avenue Bridge in Chicago was the inspiration for the Deusto Bridge's design.

The Deusto Bridge is 500 metres (1,600 ft) long. The part that opens, called the span, is 48 metres (157 ft) long. The bridge narrows the river channel, which is about 71 metres (233 ft) wide. The machinery that lifts the bridge is hidden inside concrete buildings on each side.

When the tide is high, there is 7.96 metres (26.1 ft) of space under the bridge when it's closed. When the bridge opens, it tilts up to a 70-degree angle.

See also

In Spanish: Puente de Deusto para niños

• City Hall Bridge