Castilla–La Mancha Bridge
Bridge in Talavera de la Reina, Spain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Castilla–La Mancha Bridge (Spanish: Puente de Castilla-La Mancha) is a cable-stayed bridge in Talavera de la Reina, Spain.
Castilla–La Mancha Bridge Puente de Castilla-La Mancha | |
|---|---|
| |
| Coordinates | 39°57′2″N 4°48′22″W |
| Carries | 2 lanes of motor vehicles on each side |
| Crosses | Tagus |
| Locale | Talavera de la Reina, Spain |
Preceded by | Puente de la TO-1262 |
Followed by | Puente del Príncipe |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cable-stayed bridge |
| Total length | 730 m |
| Width | 43.50 m[1] |
| Height | 192 m |
| Longest span | 318 m[1] |
| History | |
| Architect | Francisco Sánchez de León |
Engineering design by | Ramón Sánchez de León |
| Constructed by | Sacyr, Aglomancha and J. Bárcenas |
| Opened | 17 October 2011 |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Castilla–La Mancha Bridge | |
History and description
Promoted by the Regional Government of Castile-La Mancha,[2] the foundation stone was laid in November 2007.[3] It was opened on 17 October 2011.[3] The building companies were Sacyr, Aglomancha and J. Bárcenas.[2]
Standing 192 m high, it was the tallest cable-stayed bridge in Spain upon the time of its inauguration.[4] It features 152 wire ropes.[2]
With a total cost of nearly €74M, it was widely considered a waste of money in the media.[4] With the opening of the so-called Variante Suroeste of the N-502 in March 2015, the bridge—via the Ronda del Tajo—is expected to finally help to drive the heavy-duty vehicle traffic out of the city center.[5] As the bridge carried little traffic, it was often referred to as "the bridge to nowhere."[4][6]
While strictly prohibited, since 2016, multiple incidents related to illegal climbers have been reported.[7] On 13 October 2024, a 26-year-old British free-climber, Lewis Stevenson died after falling while climbing the bridge after falling ill; a coroner later ruled the death accidental. Stevenson was accompanied by a 24-year-old, both had reportedly traveled to the area to create content for social media.[8][9]
In the third decade of the 21st century, it was often used as a drinking place or a place for illegal automobile racing.[6]