WORK has finally begun to rebuild a pedestrian bridge that collapsed in the 2019 floods suffered in southern Alicante province.
A new walkway will replace the old bridge to connect the Playa de Mil Palmeras promenades with Torre de la Horadada after the original structure gave way in September 2019.
Bureaucratic delays had frustrated local hopes of a quick replacement.
The €290,000 rebuild, involving the creation of a wooden arc, should be completed by the end of the summer.
The bridge will be 36 metres long and have a width of 3.5 metres.
Construction of the new wooden walkway over the Rio Seco had been delayed despite Pilar de la Horadada council filing a rebuilding plan in February 2020.
Permission was only granted by the River Segura authority and the Valencian government in May and July 2022 respectively, following delays in the two bodies submitting reports and amendments requiring drainage capacity improvements.
Pilar council criticised the hold-up in granting licences for a structure that it says is ‘important both for residents and tourists’.