Ferrovial On the Road with Ferrovial. José Manuel Ballester

Flying With Your Feet on the Ground

Cantabria, España

Montabliz Viaduct View full project

No one ever lived in Montabliz. There were no residents other than the occasional inhabitant at the railway station, which has fallen into disuse. It has become famous for being a ghost town.

For decades, technical personnel was needed to keep the trains running from Bárcena to Pesquera in Cantabria. The steep slope and the one-lane track was challenging for even the most skilled drivers. Thus, a small station was built there, and workers would come and go.

Located on one of the sections of the A67 highway and built by Ferrovial Construction, the viaduct is perceived as a unique landmark. With a length of 721 meters, it crosses the valley of the Bisueña river, passing at its highest point.

But there never was a town called Montabliz. The name comes from the enchanted forests of the Besaya river basin. It is also the name of the highest bridge in Spain. Today, that bridge is the savior of this ridge that once turned a train track into the trace of a town back in the day, never actually becoming a town.

The Montabliz viaduct rises over the forest and the small Besueña River running through the valley below. From down below among the oaks and beech trees, the bridge seems to tower overhead. All sense of perspective is lost, making it impossible to imagine its height. The cold, hard number is the only thing that brings things back into perspective: 198 meters at its highest, making it the highest bridge in Spain today – and one of the highest in Europe.

The viaduct is located on a stretch of the A67 highway connecting Cantabria and Meseta. It seems about to touch the sky. At 721 meters long with five spans, a curved roadway with a 700-meter radius, and a sloped longitudinal profile, this bridge always seems just about to take off, even though its feet never leave the ground.

Montabliz Viaduct, Cantabria (Spain)

Montabliz Viaduct, Cantabria (Spain)

  • Spain
Google Play App Store