Only eight suspension bridges remain in the world. They arouse with the help of the   industrial fervour of the late 19th and early 20th century, without any further aspiration   than transporting goods and passengers. One century later, these survivors with an iron   skeleton have got over their purely practical character, to become important tourism   magnets. This is the case of the centenarian Bizkaia Bridge, the oldest structure of its   kind, which will preside over an association made up by the eight transporter bridges   still standing in the world, and will boost the twinning of those cities where they are   located. 

 The official creation of the new international forum will take place in Biscay in May, with   the main objective of guaranteeing the protection and preservation of these engineering   marvels, all of them included in the heritage of monuments of their respective countries.   Officials of Transbordador de Bizkaia, the company operating the service linking the   banks at Getxo and Portugalete, had to wait a long time since conversations started   back in 1997 with the managers of the other seven bridges located in Rochefort su Mer   (France), Middlesborough, New Port and Warrington (Great Britain), Osten and   Rendsbourg (Germany) and Boca (Argentina). 

�They had the courtesy of granting us the   leadership in recognition of our efforts, and because, anyway, the Bizkaia Bridge was the   first transporter bridge ever built�, said the managing director of the operating company.   The objective of the new association will be three-fold: pooling efforts with a view to   creating a lobby group before the European Union and other international institutions in   order to request subsidies, facilitate the development of joint tourism projects and  cultural and sports activities, and disseminate studies on transporter bridges. 

The renovation of the �Puente Colgante� aspires, together with a further 282 projects, to the �Europa Nostra� award for cultural heritage. This award recognises �the most worthy works undertaken on monuments of an artistic-historical nature throughout the continent�.

Remodelling of the transporter bridge of Biscay, undertaken in 1998 by architect Juan Carlos Cardenal, in collaboration with engineer, Javier Goitia, consisted, amongst other actions, in substituting the passenger nacelle, the implementation of new boarding areas with panoramic terraces, the construction of the top footbridge and the installation of spectacular lighting. 

�All this effort, both technical and economical, is aimed at turning this monument into a referent within the leisure and tourism sector of Biscay and the Basque country, apart from offering a renewed and updated transport service in the 21st century�, indicated the chairman of the company administering the bridge. 

The transporter bridge of Portugalete is the most ancient in the world, but not the only one. The structure from Biscay will chair the association made up by the eight transporter bridges that are still maintained and will foster town twinning between the cities where they are located. The structures of Rochefort sur Mer (France, Middlesbrough, New Port and Warrington (Great Britain), Osten and Rendsbourg (Germany) and Boca (Argentina) round off the list. 

The objective of the new international association will be threefold. On the one hand, it aims to join efforts to create a pressure group before the European Union and other international bodies in order to request subsidies, enable the development of joint tourist projects and cultural and sports activities and to disseminate surveys on bridges. 

ONE of the most unusual landmarks in Warrington received a special visitor this week. The Warrington Transporter Bridge, owned by Ineos, is one of only eight of its kind in Europe and was inspected by Rocio Velasco, from the World Transporter Bridge Association.

The Spanish visitor, who came to Warrington especially for the day, also paid a visit to the Town Hall to meet deputy Mayor Clr Pauline Nelson and her consort David Spence

Zubi Esekiaren birmoldaketak beste 282 proiekturekin batera kultur ondarearen 'Europa  Nostra' saria irabazi nahi du. Sari horrekin «kontinente osoko monumentu historiko  artistikoetan egindako lanak» saritzen dira. 1998an Juan Carlos Cardenal arkitektoak  Javier Goitia ingeniariaren laguntzaz egindako Bizkaiko transbordadorearen  birmoldaketak, beste hainbat ekintzen artean, bidaiarien ontzitxoa ordezkatu zuen,  terraza panoramikodun ontziratzeko gune berriak sortzea eragin zuen, pasabide nagusia  sortu eta argiztapen handia instalatzea ekarri zuen. 

«Ahalegin tekniko eta ekonomiko honen guztiaren helburua monumentu hau Bizkaiko eta  Euskal Herriko aisialdiaren eta turismoaren sektorean erreferente garrantzitsu  bilakatzea da, XXI. mendean garraio zerbitzu berritu eta eguneratua eskaintzeaz gain»,  adierazi zuen pasabidea kudeatu duen sozietateko presidenteak. 

Portugaletekoa da munduko transbordadore zubi zaharrena, baina ez bakarra. Bizkaiko  egitura izango da oraindik orain kontserbatzen diren zortzi transbordadoreez osaturiko  erakundea zuzenduko duena eta horiek barne hartzen dituzten herrialdeen elkarketa  sustatuko du. Herrialde hauek osatzen dute: Rochefort su Mer-eko egiturak (Frantzia),  Middlesbrough, New Port eta Warrington (Britainia Handia), Osten eta Rendsbourg  (Alemania) eta Boca (Argentina).  Nazioarteko elkarketa horren helburua hirukoitza izango da. Alde batetik, Europako  Batasunaren eta nazioarteko beste hainbat instantzien aurrean diru-laguntzak  eskatzeko, turismo proiektu bateratuen eta kultur nahiz kirol ekintzen garapena  errazteko eta zubiei buruzko ikerketak hedatzeko presioa izango duen talde bat sortzeko  indarra bildu nahi du para.