Vizcaya Bridge

Vizcaya Bridge is the oldest hanging transporter bridge in the world. It was built in 1893 and designed by Alberto de Palacio, one of Gustave Eiffel's disciples. It links the towns of Portugalete and Las Arenas (part of Getxo) near Bilbao, crossing the mouth of the Nervion River. The design was made like this so the passage of ships would not be interrupted.

The bridge is made of iron, and uses twisted steel cables (by Ferdinand Arnodin). The first gondola here was operated by a steam engine. The bridge is 164 meters long and its gondola can transport six cars and several dozens of passengers in one minute and a half. The pillars of the bridge are 50 meters high.

People in the area commonly call it the Puente Colgante (literally "hanging bridge"). It is still in use. It operates every 8 minutes, 24 hours a day all year round.

Year	Decision	Comments
2006	Inscribed	Reasons for inscription

Visit August 2009

The Puente Colgante is located just north of Bilbao, not far from the motorway. I visited it from the Portugalete side. It was quite difficult to find a parking spot close by. Eventually I decided to drive on for a while (farther up north), until traffic got less dense. There’s a boulevard along the river that you can follow back on foot. The bridge actually is right in the center of Portugalete.

Like others have noticed: the bridge bears a strong resemblance to the Eiffel Tower. It keeps attracting your view. It is grand and lean. The gondola that hangs and moves underneath looks like a little boat that is pulled back and forth.

Since 1999, the pillars of the bridge on both sides have lifts installed. These will take you up 50 meters, from where you can walk over the bridge's platform. At first instance, it looked like an interesting thing to do here. So I bought a ticket to the lift for 5 EUR. I got weak knees however when I looked up from below: the bridge looks so thin and scary! I entered the lift, but on the way up I told myself that I would go back down with the same lift immediately. I think it scared me because the construction is very ‘open’: you can see right through everything, so you also see all the depth and height.

Arriving at the top, the feeling wasn’t so bad anymore. They have the upper platform totally encaged, and you cannot look down below your feet. I even started enjoying it! One can walk all the way to the other side of the bridge, to Getxo. When a gondola is passing underneath, you can see the cables rolling and feel the construction trembling.

In all, I found it a worthwhile WHS to visit. If you're really afraid of heights you can always take the gondola to the other side!

More photos can be found in the Picture Gallery

Reviews

simon brown (england):
Hi,
Nice review. However it is not the last remaining transporter bridge.
There is a fully operational bridge in Middlesbrough, north east England. It has recently celebrated its 100 year aniversary.

Date posted: September 2011

John Booth (New Zealand):

I crossed the river in the gondola for 3 euros. I travelled by local train from Bilbao Abando station to Portugalete enjoying a spectacular view of the bridge while approaching Portugalete station. Having crossed the bridge I went to the nearby Areeta metro station to catch a train back to Bilbao and the Guggenheim Museum.
I believe that this is the world's last remaining operating transporter bridge; I have only seen one other, derilict at La Boca in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Date posted: April 2010

():
This is really a nice experience. Built by Ferdinand Arnodin, a friend of Gustave Eiffel, the bridge construction reminds one of the Eiffeltower. It's actually an aerial bridge, a horizontal cablecar on which you drive or walk on. It has been carefully refurbished and it's really an experience to cross the river Nervion 'aboard' this bridge. As it fits only a small number of vehicles you may have to queue if you want to use it by car.

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In the News

» Hanging Bridge of Vizcaya declared World Heritage Site (21-07-2006).

Links

» Official homepage: Biscay Transporter Bridge.
» Puente Colgante on Wikipedia.