Puente de Ventas, Road bridge in Madrid, Spain
Puente de Ventas is a mixed steel-and-concrete bridge over the M-30 in Madrid, linking the Salamanca and Ciudad Lineal districts. It has two curved side decks with a covered pedestrian walkway and a straight central deck of six parallel beams. The whole structure weighs 1,160 tonnes, and a triangular-section lighting arch with a 96 m span, 85 m radius and 17 m rise stands over the roadway.
The current Puente de Ventas replaced an earlier bridge demolished during a four-stage reconstruction that kept traffic on the M-30 and Calle de Alcalá moving. The work widened the M-30 by two lanes on each side, replaced an old underpass with a covered roadway along the sides, and cost 2.2 billion pesetas, shared equally by the Ministry of Public Works and the city. The bridge was renovated in 2014.
The bridge links two neighborhoods on Madrid's east side and serves as a daily crossing for thousands of commuters traveling between homes and workplaces. It has become woven into the daily life of residents in this area and shapes how the eastern district develops.
The bridge is best reached on foot using the designated pedestrian walkways, since the structure is primarily designed for vehicle traffic. Using the footpath offers a view of traffic flows and the surrounding architecture of eastern Madrid.
The bridge is notable because its design represents an early example of integrating pedestrian pathways into high-speed road bridges in Spain. This was an innovative feature for its time, allowing pedestrians to cross together with automobile traffic.
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