Mérida town river crossing-bridge over the Guadiana

Abstract

The bridge, located close to the town center, structurally speaking is a seve-span continuous bridge, free of which are approach spans at either end and one center span 189 m in length. The topology of the bridge approach spans is that of a copntinuous span post-tensioned concrete frame. The central span hanging from a trust or braced arch is joined to this spans in an uninterruped conection and uses its own post-tensioned bridge deck as a horizontal tie bar. The bridge deck on the central span is hunged on 23 pairs of steel-wire road suspension cables sheathed in stainles stell tubing and having their active anchorage in the bridge deck below the pedestrian footwalk. Cross-sectionally the bridge is made up of a stiffening concrete box girder on which the pedestrian footwalk is laid. The carriageways are situated on lateral cantilevers joined to the box girder.