ULMA: Renovation of Guadiana International Bridge

The International Bridge over the Guadiana River joins Spain and Portugal, spanning between the towns of Ayamonte and Vila Real de Santo António. The composite bridge was designed by the architects José Luis Cancio Martins and Teixeira Duarte, with a length of 666 metres, divided into five spans. Since its original construction in 1991 it has become a symbol of the union between the two countries that compose the Iberian Peninsula.

Advertisement

The bridge joins two popular tourist areas and is being renovated to accommodate the large flow of traffic. The work includes a wholesale repair of the suspension cables, structural and mechanical maintenance, as well as bituminous pavement for the entire deck.

ULMA provisioned 460 tonnes of formwork and scaffolding for the renovation of the Guadiana International Bridge. The variety of work and the quantity of equipment needed made seamless coordination an absolute necessity.

The 100 m pylons were covered with BRIO Modular Scaffolding and access stairways to create many distinct access points and facilitate the repair of the suspension cables. The scaffolding design had to accommodate the pylon geometry and the presence of the suspension cables, while providing safe working spaces. The design was further complicated by the presence of strong winds onsite.

ULMA provided an efficient and timely response to the project’s various demands.

Most notably:

• The quantity of material necessary to supply, given that the pylons were to be renovated simultaneously.

• In order to permit the continued flow of traffic between Spain and Portugal, two protective gantries – one for each pylon – were installed in an extremely limited space so that the renovation could be undertaken without interrupting the flow of traffic. In order to adapt to the limited space available and withstand the load of the scaffolding structures, the gantries were made from heavy duty T-500 Shoring Towers combined with intermediate metal beams and ENKOFORM.