Javier Manterola facts for kids
Javier Manterola Armisén (born 17 June 1936 – died 12 May 2024) was a very important Spanish civil engineer. A civil engineer is someone who designs and builds things like roads, buildings, and especially bridges. Javier Manterola was also a professor at a top engineering school in Madrid.
He was most famous for his amazing work designing bridges. He worked with an engineering company called Carlos Fernández Casado. Javier Manterola created many different projects, sometimes working with famous Spanish architects like Rafael Moneo. Throughout his career, he won several important awards, including the Premio Príncipe de Viana de la Cultura. He was also a member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, which is a prestigious academy for arts.
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Designing Famous Bridges
Javier Manterola designed many impressive bridges across Spain. His work helped connect cities and made travel easier for everyone.
La Pepa Bridge
Perhaps his most well-known work is the Puente de La Pepa. This huge bridge opened in 2015. It became the main way to enter the city of Cádiz. It's a very important link for the area.
Engineer Carlos Fernández Casado Bridge
Another one of his major designs is the Engineer Carlos Fernández Casado Bridge. This bridge crosses a part of the Barrios de Luna reservoir in León. For ten years, it held world records for its design in several ways. It is still the second longest bridge span in Spain, right after the La Pepa Bridge.
Bridges in Zaragoza
Manterola designed many bridges in the city of Zaragoza.
- He created the Manuel Giménez Abad Bridge for Zaragoza's third ring road, known as Z-30.
- He also designed the Barranco de la Muerte aqueduct. This special structure helps the Canal Imperial de Aragón cross over the Z-30 road.
- For the Expo 2008 event, Manterola designed a special bridge just for people walking. It was called the Pasarela del Voluntariado.
Other Important Bridges
Javier Manterola's designs can be found all over Spain:
- He designed a bridge over the Ebro River for the high-speed train line that connects Madrid and Barcelona.
- He also designed the Puente de Andalucía over the Guadalquivir River in Córdoba.
- Another one of his designs is the Puente de las Delicias in Seville.
- In Vizcaya, he designed the Euskalduna Bridge over the Estuary of Bilbao. He also designed several bridges for the Supersur motorway in that region.
Restoring Old Bridges
Besides designing new bridges, Manterola also helped fix and restore old, historic bridges.
- One example is the Puente Nuevo in Murcia. This project happened between 2001 and 2003.
- The bridge was closed to traffic because of structural problems. Manterola's team helped turn it into a bridge for pedestrians (people walking). They kept the original structure while making it safe and useful again.
Awards and Recognition
Javier Manterola received many awards for his excellent work in engineering.
- In 2006, he won the International Award of Merit in Structural Engineering. This award came from the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering, which is a big international group for bridge and structure experts.
See also
In Spanish: Javier Manterola para niños
