Girona to Inspect All City Bridges for Structural Damage

The city of Girona is preparing to conduct a comprehensive review of its bridge infrastructure to identify structural issues. Known as a city of bridges due to its four rivers, Girona features numerous crossings including medieval structures. In the coming days, rehabilitation work will commence on specific footbridges over the Güell River, specifically the Font del Rei footbridge and the Areny bridge. This maintenance initiative aims to detect pathologies or damage across the city's extensive network of crossings, which includes the Ter, Onyar, Güell, and Galligants rivers. The Onyar river alone is crossed by approximately ten passages, highlighting the scale of the infrastructure requiring oversight.

The city of Girona is characterized by its unique geography, which features four distinct rivers flowing through the urban area. These waterways—the Ter, Onyar, Güell, and Galligants—create a landscape that requires an extensive network of crossings to connect the city.

Because of this geographical layout, Girona is frequently described as a city of bridges. The infrastructure includes a variety of structures ranging from modern crossings to historical landmarks. The medieval era left a significant mark on the city's architecture, with some bridges still standing today as testament to that period's engineering.

Among the most notable areas is the river Onyar, which is crossed by approximately ten different passages. This high density of crossings illustrates the importance of bridge maintenance in the city's daily logistics and urban planning.

According to the city's plans, specific maintenance operations are scheduled to begin shortly. The focus of this initial phase will be the waterways that pose immediate maintenance needs.

The rehabilitation efforts will target the following specific structures:

• The footbridges over the Güell river
• The Font del Rei footbridge
• The Areny bridge

These projects represent the first step in a broader initiative to ensure the safety and longevity of the city's infrastructure. Workers will be tasked with identifying and repairing any visible or underlying issues.

The primary objective of the upcoming works is to detect pathologies or damage across the city's bridges. This proactive approach involves a thorough review of all city bridges, not just those currently undergoing rehabilitation.

By inspecting the entire network, city officials aim to address potential structural weaknesses before they become critical. This includes looking for signs of wear and tear, erosion, or other damage common to infrastructure exposed to the elements.

Specific attention will be paid to older structures, such as the Font del Bisbe located in the valley of Sant Daniel. This bridge is a prime example of the medieval construction found in the area and requires specialized preservation efforts.

Girona's infrastructure is a blend of the ancient and the modern. The presence of structures dating back to the medieval period adds cultural value but also increases the complexity of maintenance tasks.

The city's commitment to reviewing all bridges ensures that this historical heritage is preserved while maintaining public safety. The upcoming works on the Güell river crossings are just the beginning of a systematic evaluation of the city's assets.

As the rehabilitation of the Font del Rei footbridge and the Areny bridge gets underway, the city will likely gather data to inform future maintenance schedules for the rest of the bridge network, including those over the Ter and Galligants rivers.