The Biscay Transporter Bridge has been moving cars across the Navion River in Bilbao, Spain, since its construction in 1893.
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seams like an in-efficient way to get across a river. wouldn’t a ferry do the same thing?i understand early on it would have horse carts, but still. and what if the wind picks up? do you miss the “dock” on the other side?
#1 – There seems to be some sort of bug in FireFox where after you watch x numbers of videos, the audio craps out. FireFox has to be rebooted.
We used to (quite some time ago) have one or two (I forget) bridges like this in Minnesota but as has been pointed out by others they’re quite inefficient so they were replaced with aerial lift bridges some time ago.
That’s an interesting concept that few engineers would have ever conceived of. Obviously, it worked but is seems hopelessly impractical. I am rather surprised it ever got built to begin with. This appears to be an evolutionary dead end.
I am still amazed that it dates to 1893 and is still in use. Thanks for the sharing it!
This encouraged me to look it up. The Duluth Minnesota transporter bridge (as these are called) was built in 1905 and converted to a lift bridge in 1929. You can get a list of transporter bridges which did or do exist at Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transporter_bridge
I understand the sentimental feelings and all but, why not just build a regular bridge there?
surely they mean 1983… don’t think there were too many cars around in 1893…. lol
apeguero, I would attribute the fact that it is still there to either a) they don’t want to pay to build a new one, b) they like the tolls they currently collect (it might be free, however), c) sentimentality, d)historical relevance, and e) tourism.
The designer was also a pal of Eiffel.
But hey, it still works, even if not very efficiently.
#8 – Those horse carriages had to get across the river too.
I would think the operating costs would have paid for a real bridge by now.
It’s still there for the same reason that the Eiffel Tower hasn’t been pulled down and replaced with a concrete column – it’s part of the town’s history. And there are several “real” bridges in Bilbao.
Hey, I’m a US citizen resident in Bilbao these last 20 years. Really it’s quite a landmark that’s been around a long, long time. There are many alternative routes accross the river that are much quicker for automotive traffic, but none quite so spectacular. It’s been a tourist attraction since it’s inauguration and recently has provided an elevator to the top of the tower and a wide pedestrian bridge to cross – not recommended for those who suffer vertigo. Still, on a beautiful day It’s a magnificient view!