Army engineers have begun work on the installation of a Bailey bridge in Aldea del Fresno, in Madrid, one of the towns most affected by the recent DANA.
The provisional bridge will be installed on the M-507 highway, following the request of the Community of Madrid and the Government Delegation. The Bailey is a portable and modular bridge provided by the Army that allows the passage of vehicles of up to 80 tons.
Mounting and launching is relatively quick and easy, and occurs from only one side. In the installation phase, pieces are placed that are assembled and thrown on rollers to the opposite shore.
The Bailey is a mythical bridge in service since World War II, designed by the English military engineer Donald Coleman Bailey. All the pieces fit together, without any kind of welding or screws. The material that forms the bridge is easily transported by truck to the selected point and is also prepared for its parachute drop on a pallet. The different elements of the structure are made of steel, while the floor is made up of wooden planks.
The assembly can be carried out manually by a team of sappers in a matter of a few hours. Depending on the distance to be covered, the engineers establish the configuration of the bridge (length -up to 60 meters- and weight). The maximum width is 4.5 meters.
Personnel from the 11th Engineer Specialty Regiment of Salamanca have already carried out a reconnaissance of the area in Aldea del Fresno and final preparations for the assembly of the bridge, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense. Bailey bridges have been used by the Army on numerous occasions to support the civilian population given the speed with which they can be installed and their capabilities. In April 2020, for example, the Army set up a bridge of this type in Montblanc (Tarragona) to guarantee the passage of vehicles over the Francolí River, after torrential rains. In this case, the bridge had a length of 43 meters and a maximum weight of 30 tons.
Subsequently, in 2021, Tierra also installed a Bailey in Tenerife, in the north of the island to ensure access to the Anaga rural park affected at the time by a forest fire.
