The Army’s Bailey bridge leaves El Rubio after ten months

Dismantling the Bailey bridge yesterday

The Minister showed her support for the soldiers

On the 11th of September, members of the 11th Engineers Specialist Regiment began to dismantle the Bailey bridge which had been erected in the El Rubio district in Seville. In this task they had the support of the Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, who visited them yesterday and extended to them the recognition of society as a whole for the work that they do.

The fact that the new stretch of road which has been built to connect El Rubio to the neighbouring towns of Marinaleda and the district of Matarredonda – a job which for the last ten months has been done by the military bridge – is dedicated to the Army and the Defence Minister, is proof of this recognition. This information appears on the plaque which Robles, along with the mayor of the district, Rafael de la Fe, unveiled.

The Bailey bridge was installed as a result of the mayor of El Rubio’s petition for help after the heavy rains in October 2018, which caused the Blanco river to overflow and wipe out the two bridges which connected the district with the neighbouring towns. The Minister of Defence authorised this cooperative effort on the 6th of November.

The 12th Pontonier & Engineering Specialities Regiment inspected the area and developed a report in which they suggested erecting the Bailey bridge in order to re-establish road travel. The bridge was transported from the 11th Engineering Specialist Regiment in Salamanca and was open to traffic on the 22nd of November.

Since it opened, it has been periodically reviewed by military personnel in order to check its condition. Having served its purpose, it will leave El Rubio from the 14th of September onwards, the date on which dismantling is scheduled to be completed.