03/2021

During the refurbishment of the railway bridge that allows the Bilbao-San Sebastián rail line to span over the N-634 road at Deba, the main span's original structure was discovered. This XIX-century metallic deck bridge was covered by a reinforced concrete structure, making it seem like a slab.

According to the Basque Association for Industrial and Public Works Heritage, the construction works of the Deba-Zumaia section finished in 1901. The builder was Pedro Gandiaga. The original structure was hidden due to unknown-dated widening works, although it was likely before the Spanish Civil War.

The bridge showed several issues. However, the damages produced by continuous impacts against the main span, due to its limited vertical clearance, stood out. These damages encouraged the administration to replace the structure with another one with a shorter depth.

FHECOR Consulting Engineers prepared the refurbishment project of the bridge and the replacement of the main span. The superstructure was designed with stainless steel in order to minimize maintenance, making this structure one of the few railway bridges in Spain built with this material.