Puntos de Interés
Infrastructure
Viaduct over the river Nela
In the middle of the 20th century, work on one of the most important railway projects in our country came to a standstill: the Santander-Mediterranean railway.
Stations, tunnels such as Engaña tunnel, bridges and many other constructions were left to their own devices. Today, some of these infrastructures have become witnesses of what this pharaonic project could have brought and yet was never completed.
This is the case of the viaduct over the river Nela, one of the largest on the line. This infrastructure is currently preserved in perfect condition, which allows us to distinguish, for example, its arches, 9 of which reach 12 metres in span, while another of them stands out due to its 20-metre height. A work in which you can see, on the one hand, its concrete vault and, on the other hand, the pillars and abutments, made of ashlar masonry and masonry of great size.
The platform, which can be crossed by hikers and cyclists, is 7.60 metres wide with a double track and consists of 1.20-metre-long cantilevered pavements. Of the old reinforced concrete railing, only some parts remain at the beginning and end of the construction, since the bulk of it was replaced by the current metal railing.
The construction of this viaduct cost a total of 1,516,663.27 pesetas, a milestone for the time.
