Spain’s Vizcaya Bridge is the world’s oldest transporter bridge still in service.
The bridge opened in 1893 over the Nervion River near Bilbao, connecting the towns of Portugalete and Getxo. Its suspended gondola carries passengers and vehicles between the banks, allowing ships to pass beneath without interrupting river traffic.
The structure was designed by Alberto Palacio, who had worked with Gustave Eiffel. Its steel towers support a high horizontal beam from which the ferry platform hangs. This arrangement avoids the need for a long ramp rising high enough for maritime traffic.
UNESCO added the bridge to the World Heritage List in 2006, recognizing it as an innovative combination of engineering and industrial design. It is often called the Puente Colgante, meaning “Hanging Bridge,” although its technical type is a transporter bridge.