Puente de España
Encyclopedia
Puente de España or the Bridge of Spain was a bridge that spanned the Pasig River
in the Philippines
connecting the districts of Binondo and Sta. Cruz on Calle Nueva (now E.T. Yuchengco St) with the center of downtown Manila
. The span was the oldest established in the country before it was damaged by flood in 1914. The bridge was replaced by Jones Bridge
in 1916 located one block downriver from Puente de España on Calle Rosario (now Quintin Paredes St).
who reported that the city had decided to build a stone bridge over the river. The beam bridge
connected Intramuros and with the business district of Binondo, making the travel across easier and faster than the ferry
service that existed before. The bridge was completed in 1630, under the rule of Juan Niño de Tabora
. The bridge was built without cost to the treasury, as the Sangley
s (Chinese) had paid for it as it relieved them of ferryboat charges.
priest Lucas de Jesus Maria, and that the bridge as built consisted of stone piers and a wooden superstructure
. At the south end of the bridge is a structure called Fortin y Mira (small fort and lookout). Its use was to guard this approach to the city as part of the defense of Manila. The wooden superstructure, besides being more easily and cheaply built, had a military value in that communications between the two parts of the city, as divided by the river, could be easily and quickly destroyed by destroying the woodwork. This was done during an insurrection of the Chinese in 1638.
Antonio Herrera. In order to expose the river bed, he diverted half of the water of the river into the moat
s and esteros (canals) which existed along the east and south fronts of the walled city and then cut a channel from the west end of the moat, on the south (near Paseo de Luneta) to the sea. By building heavy dikes he unwatered a part of the river bed, which permitted the construction of the piers for half of the bridge. The same plan was followed for the piers of the other half. The piers were built of a local stone, known locally as Guadalupe adobe stone named from where the stones were quarried (now Brgy.
Guadalupe Viejo in Makati City
); its formation being a volcanic tuff
.
known as Puente de Barcas (Bridge of Boats) was constructed one block below on Calle Rosario. In the middle of the bridge, the spans were supported by cascos, or large flat-bottomed boats common in the area.
when the bridge was widened to accommodate more pedestrians and vehicles. As a result, the street lamps on the bridge were removed. Tracks were laid on the bridge in 1905 to accommodate the "tranvia", a streetcar system that run throughout Manila.
was installed after a few months over the remaining spans.
reinforced concrete
arch bridge
was constructed by the American Colonial government one block downriver from the original location, on the site of the old temporary Puente de Barcas. The span was renamed as Jones Bridge
after former Virginia Rep. William Atkinson Jones
, who was the principal author of the Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916, a bill assuring the future independence of the Philippines. The bridge was destroyed by the bombs of World War II
and replaced by the present bridge (Jones Bridge II
).
Pasig River
The Pasig River is a river in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it is lined by Metro Manila on each side...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
connecting the districts of Binondo and Sta. Cruz on Calle Nueva (now E.T. Yuchengco St) with the center of downtown Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. The span was the oldest established in the country before it was damaged by flood in 1914. The bridge was replaced by Jones Bridge
Jones Bridge
Jones Bridge is a bridge that spans the Pasig River in the city Philippines connecting the districts of Binondo on Rosario Street with the center of Manila...
in 1916 located one block downriver from Puente de España on Calle Rosario (now Quintin Paredes St).
Puente Grande
The first bridge to ever cross the Pasig River was the Puente Grande, a ten-span bridge opened in 1630 by the Spanish colonial government. Work on the bridge started in 1626 under the rule of Spanish Governor Fernando de SilvaFernándo de Silva
Fernándo de Silva was a Spanish diplomat and colonial official. From July 1625 to June 28, 1626 he was interim governor of the Philippines.-Background:...
who reported that the city had decided to build a stone bridge over the river. The beam bridge
Beam bridge
Beam bridges are the most simple of structural forms being supported by an abutment at each end of the deck. No moments are transferred through the support hence their structural type is known as simply supported....
connected Intramuros and with the business district of Binondo, making the travel across easier and faster than the ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service that existed before. The bridge was completed in 1630, under the rule of Juan Niño de Tabora
Juan Niño de Tabora
Juan Niño de Tabora , was a Spanish general and colonial official. From June 29, 1626 until his death on July 22, 1632, he was governor of the Philippines.-Early life:Juan Niño de Tabora was born in Galicia...
. The bridge was built without cost to the treasury, as the Sangley
Sangley
Sangley , is an archaic term used in the Philippines to describe and classify a person of pure Chinese ancestry, while mestizo de sangley was used to refer to a person of mixed Chinese and indigenous ancestry Sangley (Sangleye, Sangley Mestizo, Mestisong Sangley, Mestizo de Sangley or Chinese...
s (Chinese) had paid for it as it relieved them of ferryboat charges.
Bridge design
The work of construction was directed by the RecollectRecollect
The term Recollect refers to a group that resulted from the various reformation that happened into the different mendicant orders during the middle ages...
priest Lucas de Jesus Maria, and that the bridge as built consisted of stone piers and a wooden superstructure
Superstructure
A superstructure is an upward extension of an existing structure above a baseline. This term is applied to various kinds of physical structures such as buildings, bridges, or ships...
. At the south end of the bridge is a structure called Fortin y Mira (small fort and lookout). Its use was to guard this approach to the city as part of the defense of Manila. The wooden superstructure, besides being more easily and cheaply built, had a military value in that communications between the two parts of the city, as divided by the river, could be easily and quickly destroyed by destroying the woodwork. This was done during an insurrection of the Chinese in 1638.
Construction of the bridge
The engineering work was credited to an Augustinian friarFriar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
Antonio Herrera. In order to expose the river bed, he diverted half of the water of the river into the moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
s and esteros (canals) which existed along the east and south fronts of the walled city and then cut a channel from the west end of the moat, on the south (near Paseo de Luneta) to the sea. By building heavy dikes he unwatered a part of the river bed, which permitted the construction of the piers for half of the bridge. The same plan was followed for the piers of the other half. The piers were built of a local stone, known locally as Guadalupe adobe stone named from where the stones were quarried (now Brgy.
Barangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
Guadalupe Viejo in Makati City
Makati City
The City of Makati is one of the 17 cities that make up Metro Manila, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines and one of the major financial, commercial and economic hubs in Asia...
); its formation being a volcanic tuff
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
.
Puente de Piedra
In 1814, the wooden superstructures were replaced with stone arches and the stone piers were strengthened. The bridge was also called Puente de Piedra (Stone Bridge), with the old name remaining popular. The earthquake of 1863, one of the strongest to hit the Philippines leveled most of Manila. On the bridge, some of the center piers of the bridge sank, damaging the bridge.Puente de Barcas
While the bridge was being assessed and repaired, a temporary pontoon bridgePontoon bridge
A pontoon bridge or floating bridge is a bridge that floats on water and in which barge- or boat-like pontoons support the bridge deck and its dynamic loads. While pontoon bridges are usually temporary structures, some are used for long periods of time...
known as Puente de Barcas (Bridge of Boats) was constructed one block below on Calle Rosario. In the middle of the bridge, the spans were supported by cascos, or large flat-bottomed boats common in the area.
Puente de España
On the old bridge, the two piers near the center were removed lessening the number of spans to eight. The two steel ribbed central spans were used to span the space left by the removed piers. The bridge was opened on January 1, 1875 and was renamed as Puente de España. It remained unchanged till 1901 during the American Colonial EraHistory of the Philippines (1898-1946)
This article covers the history of the Philippines from 1898 to 1946. It spans the Spanish-American War which resulted in the United States acquiring sovereignty over the Philippines from Spain via the Treaty of Paris which ended that war, the Philippines as a U.S. territory and later as a U.S...
when the bridge was widened to accommodate more pedestrians and vehicles. As a result, the street lamps on the bridge were removed. Tracks were laid on the bridge in 1905 to accommodate the "tranvia", a streetcar system that run throughout Manila.
Destruction
In September, 1914 nonstop rains flooded the streets of Manila swelling the Pasig River. The floods damaged the center pier of the bridge, and it was removed. A temporary truss bridgeTruss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
was installed after a few months over the remaining spans.
Jones Bridge
In 1916, a replacement NeoclassicalNeoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
arch bridge
Arch bridge
An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side...
was constructed by the American Colonial government one block downriver from the original location, on the site of the old temporary Puente de Barcas. The span was renamed as Jones Bridge
Jones Bridge
Jones Bridge is a bridge that spans the Pasig River in the city Philippines connecting the districts of Binondo on Rosario Street with the center of Manila...
after former Virginia Rep. William Atkinson Jones
William Atkinson Jones
William Atkinson Jones was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1891 to 1918.Jones was born in Warsaw, Virginia, and graduated from the law department of the University of Virginia in 1870...
, who was the principal author of the Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916, a bill assuring the future independence of the Philippines. The bridge was destroyed by the bombs of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and replaced by the present bridge (Jones Bridge II
Jones Bridge
Jones Bridge is a bridge that spans the Pasig River in the city Philippines connecting the districts of Binondo on Rosario Street with the center of Manila...
).
External links
- The River and the Sea: Bridges, Ports and Lighthouses. Other bridges on Pasig River and other structures built during the Spanish Colonial Period.