In late October 2024, flash flooding caused heavy damage and significant loss of life across the eastern part of Spain. The Valencia region was particularly hard hit, with numerous bridges damaged or destroyed, cutting off critical routes and isolating communities in desperate need of aid. Restoring the infrastructure was a priority, and modular bridging was quickly deployed to facilitate the disaster response.

In the early 2000s, the Ejercito de Tierra and the UME (Emergency Military Unit) purchased several modular steel bridge sets to keep in inventory, and the bridging has been used since in different emergency response situations. The stock proved critical to the recovery efforts in Valencia, with the UME installing modular bridges in Bunyol and Cheste, and the Ejercito de Tierra installing bridges in Picanya and Riba-roja de Túria.

The four structures range from 27 meters (88.58’) to 60 meters (196.85’) in length for use in both vehicular and pedestrian applications. Due to the urgency of the situation, construction continued around the clock, and the bridges were installed within several days. Thanks to the efforts of local contractors and authorities the accesses and abutments were built in record time.

In the aftermath of unexpected events that disrupt transportation networks, holding modular bridges in stock can be crucial to survival and a return to normalcy. Immediately available components can be easily transported to the most challenging locations and quickly assembled, launched and/or redeployed with minimal equipment requirements for temporary or permanent applications.

For more than 70 years, Acrow has supplied rugged, reliable bridging solutions to customers globally. For the many local and national governments that already hold Acrow modular bridge inventory and assembling equipment in stock, the ability to rapidly deploy these reliable infrastructure assets has proved invaluable in timely and effective disaster response.