Aqueduct, Imperial Canal of Aragon, Zaragoza, Spain

This Aqueduct carries a canal with a 35,8 mm² cross section as well as two 7 m wide carriageways and two 3 m pathways. The aqueduct then combines with a bridge into a single structure. This provides a positive aspect, in that, the role of this historical canal is enhanced by making it more visible to road traffic and accessible pedestrians. At the same time, the bridge acquires a more urban and peaceful character thanks to the visual effect of the slow water flow along the aqueduct. The total length of the aqueduct is 88 m width a 40 m long central span over the two ring road carriagways and two 24 m long lateral spans. Although many similar prestressed concrete aqueducts have been built in the past, including the well known Alloz aqueduct, by Eduardo Torraja (1939), it is not usual to construct and combine a bridge and aqueduct in the same structure. This double function imposes two important constraints: service loads (429 kN/m) and a very large width able to accomodate all of the fluxes (water, vehicles and pedestrians).