This post will only be of interest to those who know Órgiva and, even then, it may be the most boring thing they’ve read in ages.
The Bridge over the River Kwai Chico is having a facelift. It was deemed unstable a while back having largely withstood (since the 1920s) first, horse/mule-drawn carts, then cars and lorries – and drunken pedestrians trying not to fall over the railings. For many, it’s just as an important Órgiva landmark as the church and the man selling roasted chickens. It is, after all, the only main route into the town from the Lanjarón side – a welcoming 30-metre gateway after the car-sick-inducing bends of the A-348 which winds itself through the Alpujarra. It’s not to be confused with the magnificent Seven Eye Bridge on the other side of town.
The renovation is costing almost €700.000 and planned to take around six months. So with the time already taken it should open in January or February 2020, by which time the snow-melt water of the Sierra Nevada will be churning its way underneath it once again. A decent and temporary bridge has been built next to the space behind the tiny BP garage and where people go to pay their respects to the newly-departed of the parish.
We understand that the improved bridge will allow traffic to simultaneously pass in both directions rather than the ‘wait your turn to cross’ system of old (can anyone confirm – or will there be traffic lights?). Once or twice we’ve inadvertently broken the priority flow rule and been screamed at by someone whose world seemed to be ending at that moment (let’s hope they were going to a yoga or meditation class).
Not all the bridge is disappearing; the base turrets of the bridge are staying and the upper part – with support rods, beams, cement blocks and road surface – will be the new addition. We assume it will be wider too but, again, we are unsure. Even from a distance – like a carcus stripped of its meat – we could see the old, exposed metal supports had corroded. At the time of writing these have disappeared and new supports put it.
We’ve been taking a few photos and will add more as time goes by. First, this is the bridge in a painting (just look at the width of the river compared to today!):
Artist: L Medina
October 2019 – taken from the small BP station
October 2019 – taken from the temporary bridge
November – renovation of support
November – renovation of support, looking towards Estrella
December – coming together: a wider road with safe pedestrian access
January 2020
As the bridge will be remembered
The president of the Junta de Andalucia, Juanma Moreno, opens the bridge.
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Goodbye Campers! – Órgiva landmark bites the dust
© con jamón spain
con jamón spain 
Hello, thank you for liking my Tweet about our night in Granada. That was midway thorugh a two-week holiday divided between Orgiva and la Herradura. There was then a gap of 20+ years before we returned (no reason for the gap, just families and circumstances), and we stayed in Orgiva last summer and the summer before, renting a cottage down towards the Chico. We absolutely love the place, the atmosphere, the people, the market, the fact that it isn’t all touristy but is a proper working town. Also, the scenery and walking and the amzing bars and restaurants (Sunday lunch in El Vielle Molina especially!). We were hoping to return in June but maybe not now – hopefully there is always next year!
Posted by Ruth Hayes | April 7, 2020, 1:21 pmHi Ruth – a lovely description of Orgiva ans hope you manage to visit again soon. Also hope you enjoy the blog, there are 350+ articles about the town, local area, Granada and loads more. Best wishes.
Posted by con jamón spain | April 7, 2020, 1:24 pmAh, I appear to have posted twice – I didn’t think the first one went through! I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the blog, thank you for writing it!
Posted by Ruthie Hayes | April 7, 2020, 1:25 pm