The Generalitat de Catalunya will assume the renovation of the Aitona bridge over the Segre river, a basic infrastructure for the agricultural activity of the municipality. The Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau, announced on Tuesday that the works will begin starting in 2027 with an investment of over 4 million euros.
The calendar arrives after years of warnings about the state of a century-old structure that remains key to the local economy. The municipality has 75% of its cultivated hectares on the other side of the river and produces about 100 million kilos of fruit each year.
The bridge has had deficiencies since at least 2019
The bridge was built in 1917 and had to be rebuilt in the 1940s after the Civil War. Despite maintenance work carried out over the years, the infrastructure has structural deficiencies.
The deterioration had already been officially recorded some time ago. The Síndic de Greuges issued a report in 2019 in which it warned about the deficiencies of the bridge.
The work will affect a key infrastructure for 100 million kilos of fruit per year
Aitona depends on that crossing for a good part of its agricultural activity. Three out of every four cultivated hectares in the municipality are located on the other side of the Segre, so the bridge is essential for agricultural transport.
The economic relevance of the link goes beyond daily mobility. Aitona's annual fruit production reaches 100 million kilos each year, a volume that explains the importance of the connection over the river for the exit of the harvest.
Albert Dalmau set the start of the works from 2027 and estimated the planned investment at more than 4 million euros to renovate an infrastructure built in 1917.