New La Barca Bridge, over the river Ter

Abstract

The new La Barca bridge, over the river Ter, is on the northern approach to Gerona, and carries the CN II road from Madrid to France, passing through Barcelona. It substitutes another bridge of the same name, which was inadequate for the heavy increase in traffic, during recent years. The bridge is 128 m long, consisting of two lateral spans, each 37 m long, and a central span of 54 m. The superstructure consists of ten hollow metal girders, of variable depth, arranged as three-part cantilevered structures. The lateral sections are cantilevered towards the centre, and the middle part of the span rests on their extremities. The girders support a reinforced concrete slab of 16 cm thickness and 14 m width: 8 m for the roadway, and 3 m for each of the sidewalks. The structure rests on two piles and two abutments of reinforced concrete, based on caisson foundations, except for one of the abutments, which is a reinforced concrete block. The project is completed by the approach roads and stonemasonry.