Huesca thematic

Number 65. October of 2003. Spanish language  Principal menu

Bridge of San Miguel

To Arguis y Monrepós:
for the Sabiñánigo highway


      Engineering projects don't always lend themselves to architectural solutions, often preferring to reach their functional goals without recurring to considerations of form which could imply adherence to one or other stylistic tendency.
      There are, however, cases like this polished bridge design over the River lsuela, created by the civil engi- neer Emilio Monterde, which, despite its reduced size, it supposes an undeniable addition to the city's architecture from the world of engineering.
      The bridge is made of reinforced concrete, with a span of 25 metres, seven metres of road and articulated supports, ahead of its time in contemporary engi- neering. The structure consists of two parabolic pieces, braced to each other, which carry the suspended road and the bridge and act as an arched element which clearly reflects the lines of force involved in the construction.
      The bridge replaced the original Roman one and combines the grace and functional nature of the design, the revised concept, the system of construction and the modernity of its decoration. The decoration of sunk counterpoised irises, placed in the meeting-point of the arches, has been lost but the bridge has maintained the Modernist effect of its wrought iron railings, arranged in frames and decorated with natural and geometric motifs.

     



      To the construction and set in motion, of the belt of encirclement of the city of Huesca, this bridge has completed as almost obliged door of entrance and exit of this capital, for the traffic destined to Sabiñánigo and Central Pyrenee.
      Today, this function is very depleted, inasmuch the traffic going to Zaragoza avoids the city; but persists an abundant circulation for the city of Huesca, so much for the labor thing, as for the leisure. There it is the near industrial zone, that in punctual moments conditions considerable affluence (and to congestion); other times, are the hours of return of the excursion of weekend the ones that bring assembly al Bridge of San Miguel. This interesting work of engineering, was carried out by D. Emilio Monterde and it is dated of principles of the century XX (year 1912). A bridge that goes road to be centennial ..... .....
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* Manuel Tomé Bosqued
( Fhotographies and text
)



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