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The Estacio bridge which crosses the main channel between the Mediterranean and the Mar Menor in La Manga was built relatively recently, but it has quickly become such a recognizable part of the landscape and the daily life of La Manga that it is hard to imagine it not being there.
It was not until residential and holiday construction began on La Manga del Mar Menor that a bridge crossing the “Gola del Estacio” at kilometre 13 became necessary, making it possible for motor vehicles to reach the northern end of the spit in the municipality of San Javier. The channel was widened to allow maritime traffic to pass between the Mar Menor and the Mediterranean and the problem with a conventional, low road bridge was that even small craft would be impeded.
The first solution provided in 1969 was a swing bridge, but this soon proved unsatisfactory as it had only one lane and long queues were formed by those waiting to use it. However, it was not until 2003 that the current bascule bridge was officially opened, operating on the same basic design as Tower Bridge in London. The two liftable platforms are each 60 metres long and are raised at certain times during daylight to allow boats with a maximum draft of 4 metres to pass.
The whole infrastructure is monitored at these opening times from a 50-metre-high tower erected specifically for this purpose.
From 15th June to 31st August the bridge is opened to maritime traffic every two hours from 8.00 to 22.00, while for the rest of the year it opens for 15 minutes at 10.00, 12.00, 14.00, 16.00, 18.00 and 20.00.
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