Viaduct over the Llobregat River, Spain

Abstract

The Barcelona-Tarragona Motorway, unlike the National Road 340, which runs alongside it and crosses the port of Ordal at a height of 510 m above sea level, follows the Llobregat valley, upstream, to Martorell, where it links up with the National II; at this point it veers in a south-westerly direction, following the course of the Noya River towards the Panades. In comparison with present roads, the track allows —simultaneously with relatively large components in plan view— a considerably more even configuration of the elevation, with gradients of up to 4 %, which are determining conditions for all modern fasttraffic roads which at the same time have to withstand intense heavy traffic. Offsetting this advantage, it offers the disadvantage that the stretch alongside the river and, especially, crossing it, make a series of quite large structural work necessary. The biggest of those structural works is the bridge over the Congost in Martorell, described in the present report, and which should deserve technical interest, not only due to its dimensions, but also due to a series of basic considerations posed in its project and execution. This gigantic job has been carried out by «Autopistas», «Dragados y Construcciones- Candotte» and projected by «Dorsch ibérica».