Caminito del Rey Pedestrian Suspension Bridge — the longest in Spain

El Caminito del Rey, declared one of Spain’s most spectacular routes and visited by nearly 330,000 people each year, has inaugurated a new infrastructure that, from day one, has become the most unique element of its route: the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Spain.

With over 100 meters in length and a maximum height of 50 meters, the walkway is located in the final section of the route, parallel to the historic iron bridge through which the Medium Distance line runs and the El Chorro tunnel, in the municipality of Álora, Málaga.

Solutioma and Agranaltura executed this unique walkway for the concessionary UTE formed by Sando, Salzillo Servicios Integrales and Mundo Management, with the Provincial Council of Málaga as promoter, with an investment of 1.5 million euros.

The execution of this suspension bridge was not a conventional project. The natural environment of the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, with its vertical limestone rock walls and the absence of road access, presented challenges in both design and execution due to exceptionally difficult working conditions:

• Extremely difficult access in a natural environment of high orographic complexity.
• Geologically complex terrain: rock joints that required drilling up to 8 meters deep with cement injections.
• Aerial maneuvers with a helicopter for transporting materials and equipment due to the lack of viable road access.
• Cargo and personnel zip lines and specialized rope access work for the placement of the different structural elements.
• Work carried out within the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes Natural Park, conditioning operations for the protection of flora and fauna.

The walkway weighs approximately 17 tons, while the entire new structure reaches about 38 tons. Its clear width is 1.2 meters.

Solutioma’s technical team undertook the design and recalculation of the structure to adapt the project to the real demands of assembly in such a unique environment. The main phases of execution were:

Detailed analysis of the rock mass on both sides of the gorge to determine the most suitable foundation solution with the equipment that could be placed in these conditions.

On the opposite slope, a solution reinforced with micropiles and branched injections due to the presence of a scree area, in addition to ground injections for improvement.

Use of a helicopter for the transport and installation of lifting masts, zip lines for the transport of cargo and equipment and positioning of structural elements to their final location.

Verification of the walkway’s safety before its opening through tests that certified its structural behavior under real use conditions.

With the inauguration of this walkway, Caminito del Rey expands its offering as an adventure experience in nature and reinforces its position as one of the great references for inland tourism in Andalusia.

The bridge offers a unique experience: crossing at 50 meters high over the Desfiladero de los Gaitanes, with panoramic views of the vertical walls and the Guadalhorce reservoir.

More than 20 specialists participated in the execution of this project, which represents a clear example of Solutioma’s capacity, together with Agranaltura, to tackle unique infrastructures in highly complex natural environments, combining precision engineering and specialized rope access work.

In the press

The inauguration of this walkway was covered by the main media outlets in the province:

1. Así es el nuevo puente colgante del Caminito del Rey, el más largo de España con 110 metros
2. El Caminito del Rey desafía de nuevo al vértigo: abre el puente colgante más largo de España
3. El Caminito del Rey inaugura el puente colgante más largo de España: “Ha sido todo un desafío técnico”
4. Así será la pasarela colgante más larga de España: 110 metros de recorrido sobre un espectacular desfiladero
5. El Caminito del Rey aumenta su espectacularidad con el nuevo puente colgante de 110 metros
6. Nuevo puente colgante del Caminito del Rey, el más largo de España
7. Así luce la nueva pasarela de 110 metros del Caminito del Rey