Barca d'Alva - Guarda Portugal
Posted by: 
btrodrigues
N 41° 01.639 W 006° 55.889
29T E 673899 N 4543850
An abandoned railroad bridge on the Portugal-Spain border
Waymark Code: WM8R9G
Location: Guarda, Portugal
Date Posted: 05/06/2010
Views: 7
The connection to Spain for Barca d'Alva was considered of vital economic interest at the end of the 19th century, and its construction (including the Spanish side) was financed by a bank at Oporto. A series of 20 tunnels and 13 bridges took the train to La Fregeneda from Barca d'Alva, which went then to Salamanca. In 1988 the line was interrupted between Pocinho and Barca d'Alva following the Spanish decision (1985) to abandon this connection.
This is a bridge that connects the Portuguese and Spanish borders. It was built by both countries and featured a fail-safe mechanism in where, in case of war, the bridge could be easily demolished - luckily, it wasn't.
The coordinates are for the parking zone where the customs once were located and it's perfectly safe to walk on the bridge.
Bridge Type: Girder
Bridge Usage: Railroad
Moving Bridge: This bridge is static (has no moving pieces)
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Visit Instructions:
Please provide a photo taken at the time of visit.