This is how the dizzying work on the new Caminito del Rey bridge is progressing
A helicopter and zip lines are being used in the construction of the footbridge, which at 11 metres will be the longest in Spain, for the vertical work on a project for which there is still no opening date.
With workers working vertically at a height of several tens of metres, with the support of a helicopter and with loading and personnel zip lines. This is how work is progressing on the installation of the new suspension bridge at El Caminito del Rey, which will be the largest in Spain at 110 metres long and will be located at a height of 50 metres at the end of the current route near the area above the iron railway bridge and the El Chorro tunnel in Álora.
The works are being carried out by the Malaga-based company Sando, which together with Espectáculos Mundo and Salzillo Servicios Integrales is part of the joint venture (ute) that manages El Caminito del Rey, and represent an investment of 1.5 million euros, which is covered by the own funds generated by El Caminito, to be applied to improvements of this tourist facility, as established in the concession fee, according to the County Council of Malaga, which explained on Friday.
Work on the installation of the new bridge, for which there is still no opening date, is being carried out once the complications of the terrain due to the existence of diaclases (naturally occurring fractures in the rock) have been solved, which has made it necessary to drill eight-metre holes and increase the use of injected cement.
Meanwhile, in the area of the mountainside, after a laborious geological study, an area of landslides (earth that crumbles due to the effect of water or gravity) was identified, which made it necessary to add a depth of six metres to the initially planned piles and to use more micropiles and branched injections, according to the Provincial Council.
The new suspension bridge is completed with the creation of 300 metres of new path, railings, fibre optics, surveillance cameras, a control hut, silvicultural treatment, planting and irrigation, among other things.
The floor of the footbridge, which will have a free passage width of 1.2 metres, will be made of metal (tramex), the railings will be made of steel cable and mesh and will weigh approximately 17 tonnes, while the total weight of the new structure will be around 38 tonnes.
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The President of the County Council, Francisco Salado, emphasised that all the work that has been carried out in El Caminito has taken into account "the utmost respect for this natural site" and stressed that safety has always been "the priority" when designing and undertaking the layout of the platforms and paths.
Salado recalled that in the ten years that have passed since its reopening, 3 million people have walked along the footbridges of the Caminito del Rey and more than 140,000 have visited the area, although they did not actually walk the route. He also recalled that its entry into operation has quadrupled the number of accommodation establishments in the surrounding municipalities, doubled the number of places to stay, created 658 jobs and has an annual economic impact of 64 million euros.
