The Ayala Bridge () is a steel

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements, typically straight, may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

over the

Pasig River The Pasig River (; ) is a water body in the Philippines that connects Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. Stretching for , it bisects the Philippine capital of Manila and Metro Manila, its surrounding urban area into northern and southern halves. Its m ...

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. It connects the districts of

Ermita Ermita is a district in central Manila, Philippines. It is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of Manila, bearing the seat of city government and a large portion of the area's e ...

and San Miguel, passing over the western tip of

Isla de Convalecencia Isla de la Convalecencia (), commonly known as simply Isla de Convalecencia (also spelled ''Isla de Convalescencia'' and sometimes erroneously called ''Isla de Convalencia''), is a small narrow river island in the Pasig River in Manila, the Phi ...

. It carries

Circumferential Road 1 Circumferential Road 1 (C-1), informally known as the C-1 Road, is a network of roads and bridges which comprise the first and innermost beltway of Metro Manila in the Philippines. Spanning some , it connects the districts of Ermita, Intramuros, S ...

(C-1) and National Route 180 (N180), linking Ayala Boulevard in Ermita to P. Casal Street in San Miguel.

History

Ayala Bridge was originally two separate timber-built bridges (divided into the San Miguel and Concepcion sections after each side's point of origin, converging into Isla de la Convalecencia) when it was first built in 1872 by Don Jacobo Zóbel y Zangroniz of Ayala y Compañía (now

Ayala Corporation Ayala Corporation (, formerly ''Ayala y Compañía''; ) is the publicly listed holding company for the diversified interests of the Ayala Group. Founded in the Philippines by Domingo Róxas and Antonio de Ayala during Spanish colonial rule, ...

). Roughly ten years after opened, the bridge's condition had degenerated considerably. In 1899, the San Miguel portion collapsed, with the Concepcion portion following suit months later. In 1908, the bridge became the first steel bridge in the

. Its current form is attributed to a 1930s reconstruction, during which it was decided to unify the bridge in a singular route. Ayala Bridge was closed to the public in early 2015 to undergo rehabilitation and structural repairs to ensure its integrity. It was raised by , enabling it to withstand a 7.2-magnitude earthquake. The bridge fully reopened to motorists in November 2015. Every January 9 of the year since 2020, the

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA; ) is a government agency of the Philippines responsible for constituting the regional government of Metro Manila, comprising the capital city of Manila, the cities of Quezon City, Caloocan, ...

has closed the bridge for use as procession route during the

Feast of the Black Nazarene The Feast of the Black Nazarene (), officially and liturgically the Feast of Jesús Nazareno (), is a religious festival held in the Philippines. It is also known as the ''Traslación'' (lit:transfer) after the mass procession done during the ...

Notes

References

Bridges in Manila Buildings and structures in Ermita Buildings and structures in San Miguel, Manila Spanish colonial infrastructure in the Philippines Bridges completed in 2015 Bridges completed in 1908 Bridges completed in 1872 1872 establishments in the Philippines {{Philippines-bridge-struct-stub

History

See also

Notes

References