A bridge in Chiva, rebuilt for nearly 2.4 million euros, has flooded after recent rains. The local council is demanding an urgent technical review, putting the quality of emergency infrastructure repairs under scrutiny.
Months after a costly reconstruction, the Puente del Gallego in Chiva is once again unusable, with water pooling on its surface after recent rains. The local council is calling for an urgent technical review. Rebuilt after the severe floods of 2024, the bridge has become the focus of a new debate over infrastructure reliability in Valencia.
Chiva’s authorities say the bridge was designed to withstand severe weather and restore a basic route lost to flooding. But after the first major rainfall, the structure failed, leaving vehicles struggling to cross and residents frustrated. Local officials, quoted by Las Provincias, blame the water buildup on problems with the drainage and water evacuation systems installed during the recent works.
Ecos de Valencia
Mayor Ernesto Navarro has stressed the need for a bridge that works reliably in bad weather. The council points to the irony: a project meant to repair flood damage is now failing for the same reason.
The reconstruction contract, awarded to Obrascon Huarte Lain, S.A. (OHLA) in January 2025, covered several emergency repairs, including the Puente Camino Perenchiza over the barranco del Gallego, for a total of 2,396,694.22 euros. Urban planning representative Manuel Verdeguer says the council cannot accept failures in new infrastructure, particularly when public safety and daily mobility depend on it. Las Provincias reports that Chiva’s officials insist the bridge must serve its intended purpose, given its importance after the 2024 floods.
The local government has formally requested a technical inspection to find out why the drainage and water evacuation systems failed so soon after completion. The review will assess whether the systems are properly designed and sized for future storms, and identify what needs fixing to keep the bridge safe and usable.
Ministerio de Hacienda
For residents, especially those in neighborhoods that rely on the bridge for daily access, the situation is more than a nuisance. Council member Natalia Toro says technical reviews are impressive to ensure infrastructure investments deliver the safety and reliability promised to the community.
The incident comes as Spanish authorities face growing pressure to show that emergency funds and rapid repairs produce lasting results. Public works are under closer scrutiny after other recent failures. In Catalonia, for example, officials are considering bringing back AP-7 tolls to address ongoing congestion and safety problems, as reported earlier.
In Chiva, recent rains have exposed flaws in a bridge rebuilt to withstand flooding. With nearly 2.4 million euros spent on emergency repairs, the public expects more than a short-term fix. The demand for accountability concerns technical standards and whether local and regional authorities can protect impressive infrastructure. If the review finds design errors or poor oversight, calls for tighter controls and more transparent follow-up on public projects may grow. For Chiva and other towns, the basic question is whether these failures will prompt change or whether expensive mistakes will recur when the rains return.
