The Concha de Artedo Viaduct forms part of the Muros de Nalón – Las Dueñas section of the A-8 Cantabrian Motorway, a strategic infrastructure developed to complete the high-capacity transport corridor along Spain’s northern coast. Located in the municipality of Cudillero (Asturias), the viaduct was designed to span the Concha de Artedo valley through a long-span structure adapted to particularly challenging mountainous terrain. With an overall length of approximately 1,200 metres and a maximum height of 110 metres, it became the longest and tallest viaduct constructed in Asturias at the time of its completion

The structure consists of sixteen piers and seventeen spans, with span lengths of up to 75 metres and pier heights ranging from 20 to 104 metres. The bridge deck was constructed using a precast segmental reinforced concrete system, comprising a total of 574 precast segments weighing between 57 and 75 tonnes each. Segment erection was carried out using a self-launching gantry, capable of placing segments weighing up to 65 tonnes by the balanced cantilever method, ensuring high geometric accuracy and efficient construction of long spans

ERSIGROUP participated in the supply, fabrication and installation of reinforcement for piles, pile caps, bridge piers, precast deck segments and cantilever slabs. The repetitive nature of the structural elements enabled the implementation of advanced reinforcement industrialization and optimization processes. Each precast segment required detailed reinforcement redesign and bar scheduling to accommodate the high reinforcement densities while maintaining the prestressing duct layout required for segment assembly. Complementary reinforcement components were industrially fabricated and delivered together with detailed assembly drawings, optimizing both manufacturing efficiency and on-site installation

The foundations of the central piers were constructed using groups of 16 bored piles reaching lengths of up to 40 metres, reinforced with cages measuring 1.85 metres in diameter. Some pile caps incorporated up to 240 tonnes of reinforcing steel and required the placement of approximately 1,000 m³ of concrete in a single concreting operation. To accelerate pier construction, prefabricated reinforcement screen panels were developed, with four reinforcement panels preassembled for each 5-metre climbing lift before being lifted into position and connected using specially fabricated corner reinforcement elements. This methodology significantly improved installation productivity, construction safety and reinforcement quality in high-rise bridge piers

The combination of detailed engineering, reinforcement prefabrication, specialized logistics and industrialized construction methods enabled the successful execution of one of the most technically demanding bridge structures on the Cantabrian Motorway, further strengthening ERSIGROUP‘s expertise in large-scale bridge construction through advanced fabricated reinforcing steel solutions

KEY MILESTONES

• Approximately 1,200 m long motorway viaduct
• Longest and tallest viaduct constructed in Asturias at the time of completion
• Maximum structural height of 110 m
• Structure comprising 16 bridge piers and 17 spans
• Maximum span length of 75 m
• Fabrication and installation of 574 precast reinforced concrete deck segments
• Precast segments weighing between 57 and 75 tonnes each
• Deck erection using a self-launching gantry capable of placing segments weighing up to 65 tonnes
• Central bridge piers founded on groups of 16 bored piles, up to 40 m in length and reinforced with 1.85 m diameter reinforcement cages
• Pile caps incorporating up to 240 tonnes of reinforcing steel and requiring 1,000 m³ of structural concrete
• Industrialized reinforcement fabrication for precast segments, bridge piers and foundations through processes developed by ERSIGROUP
• Preassembly of reinforcement screen panels for 5 m climbing lifts, optimizing productivity, construction safety and reinforcement quality in high-rise bridge structures