Puente de los Franceses (Madrid)

The Puente de los Franceses (Bridge of the Frenchmen) railway viaduct is located in Madrid, Spain. Comprising five semi-circular brick skew arches, it was built in the second half of the 19th century to carry the railway line from the north (Madrid - Venta de Baños - Irun) across the River Manzanares.[1]

Puente de los Franceses
South side of the bridge
Coordinates40°26′01″N 3°44′09″W / 40.43361°N 3.73583°W / 40.43361; -3.73583
CarriesCommuter rail
CrossesManzanares
LocaleMadrid,  Spain
Next upstreamPuente de San Fernando [es]
Next downstreamPuente de la Reina Victoria (Madrid) [es]
Characteristics
DesignArch bridge
MaterialBrick and granite
No. of spans5
History
Constructed byCompañía de los Caminos de Hierro del Norte de España
Built1860-1862
Location
Map
Puente de los Franceses, across the River Manzanares.
Construction of Puente de los Franceses, 1859.

Toponymy

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The bridge is named after the nationality of the engineers who devised the project, who were of French origin. The bridge is also known as the French Bridge.

History

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The bridge was built between 1860 and 1862, along with other construction work on the railway line to the north, which began in 1856, by the Compañía de los Caminos de Hierro del Norte de España.

References

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  1. ^ Troyano, Leonardo Fernández (2003). Bridge Engineering: A Global Perspective. London: Thomas Telford. pp. 235–237. ISBN 0-7277-3215-3.

40°26′1.2″N 3°44′9.1″W / 40.433667°N 3.735861°W / 40.433667; -3.735861