Restoration of a masonry Bridge in Deba (Spain)

This paper deals with the singular rehabilitation process carried out to partially rebuild a masonry bridge over the Deba River (Spain). The central pier of this built heritage suffered, on July 2018, a one-meter sudden settlement provoking a partial collapse of the adjacent vaults, leaving the structure in a precarious condition and exposing it to a global collapse. This paper provides a detailed description of the structural system, main load-bearing elements, materials and the anastylosis-based method to rebuild the collapsed vaults. All the activities were supported by a combination of ancient construction techniques obtained from old treatises on masonry bridges and actual cutting-edge technologies. This paper raises awareness about the importance of studying construction history for proper restoring the built heritage. The intervention was awarded with the Grand Prix Europa Nostra award in the category "Conservation and Adaptation to New Uses" in the 2023 call.