Transformación de un puente basculante en otro rotatorio por cambio de uso en el puerto de Valencia

Transformation of a bascule bridge into a swing bridge at Valencia Harbour

The recent changes in urban layout at Valencia Harbour, made on the occasion of the 32nd edition of the America?s Cup hosted by the city in 2007, called for closure of the neck providing access into the inner harbour and construction of a new navigation canal to enable recreational vessels to dock without having to sail through the commercial and industrial port. As a result, the bascule bridge sited over the former neck was no longer needed.. By the same token, a bridge was required for the new canal, which would serve as both an emergency exit for the port and as one of the legs of Valencia?s new Formula1 street circuit. The new swing bridge, in which much of the steel and machinery from the bascule bridge have been re-used, consists in two movable leaves. Of their total 67,6-m length, 49,6 m cantilever out from the turntables to mid-span, while the remaining 18 m constitute the back spans, where the counterweights and traction wheel units that govern bridge mobility are housed. Eighteen of its total 20,45-metre width accommodate a carriageway with two traffic and two emergency lanes, while 1,25 m are reserved for an outer pedestrian walkway.