The Real bridge in Orizaba, State of Veracruz in México, was opened to traffic on Monday, 16 October 2017, after being inaugurated with a Fun Run on the previous Sunday, when it was opened for pedestrians.
The bridge was designed by CFCSL in conjunction with MEXPRESA, the builders.
The Real bridge is a cable stayed bridge with a span of 80 m that requires the depth to be kept to a minimum to pass over the railway lines that cross the city, with a vertical head room of 7.5 m along the entire central span, given that the bridge crosses over the railway lines at a very oblique angle.
The plan alignment was adjusted to the streets meeting the train crossing, which is why its lateral spans are straight and the central curve has a radius of 700 m. The need to leave a lateral lane on each side of the street for traffic under the bridge made only one lane per direction possible.
The bridge deck has a width of 14 m for the two traffic lanes and a central dividing strip, where the stays are located. The constant depth on the bridge, except where it connects to the tower, is 0.82 m in the center of the central beam.
The towers have a total height of 25.5 m and 16.5 m above the deck. The cables pass through the towers, which meant that they had to be opened at the top to house the seating. The deck is embedded in the towers, forming a gantry.
The bridge was built by successive cantilevers, using a lightweight launching girder. The entire construction of the bridge took place in less than a year. The last two earthquakes in Mexico occurred when the bridge was still under construction, with the cantilevers on the point of being closed, but the bridge suffered no damage.
