The Pont del Diable unveils the restored Roman arch

BarcelonaThe Devil's Bridge, which connects Castellbisbal (Vallès Occidental) and Martorell (Baix Llobregat), unveiled its restored Roman arch this Sunday. The work was completed more than a decade after the first collapses, which alerted authorities to the structure's fragility. The total cost of the project was €412,369.51, fully funded by the Barcelona Provincial Council. "It was badly damaged and in very poor condition," explained Joan Closa, manager of the Barcelona Provincial Council's Department of Facilities, Urban Infrastructure, and Architectural Heritage. For the past eleven months, a technical team has been working on a restoration that has primarily involved injecting a mortar specifically designed to be compatible with the arch's structural issues and the existing materials, which date back 2,000 years. The major challenge of the intervention has been securing the stones that were detaching from the Roman fill; controlling the surface erosion of the surrounding Roman mortar, given its exposure to the elements and continuous degradation; and improving the stability of the protruding sections of this Roman mortar or concrete. "The arch is stable. Now we can rest easy because most of the problems caused by water seepage have been resolved, the interior of the arch, which was half empty, has been filled, and the soot has been removed," explained the provincial council technician responsible for the work. From an aesthetic point of view, the aim was for the intervention to be virtually unnoticeable. Although the color difference between the original and restored sections is currently evident, Closa assured that the passage of time will improve the restoration's appearance because "the patina and rainwater will gradually fade that bright white color." The project also included cleaning and repairing the immediate surroundings of the archway entrance on the Castellbisbal side, where some gaps in the Roman-era stone slabs were filled and the protective treatments and finishes on the railings were renewed. The inauguration was attended by the president of the Barcelona Provincial Council, Lluïsa Moret; the deputy for Services, Facilities, Urban Infrastructure, and Architectural Heritage, Marc Castells; the mayor of Castellbisbal, Maria Dolors Conde; and the first deputy mayor of Martorell, Lluís Amat.