The Bilbao City Council has decided to allow a further three months for the execution of the works to open up the Deusto canal and the construction of the Frank Gehry bridge. The contract awarded to the consortium formed by Exbasa, Viuda de Sáinz, Balzola and Urssa established a period of 16 months for the carrying out of the works. Given that the works commenced in May, finalisation had been set for September of next year. After the municipal agreement indicated, the new date for finalisation is December 2015.

The architect Frank O. Gehry, at a ceremony presided over by Ibon Areso, the Mayor of Bilbao, laid the first stone of the Deusto-Zorrotzaurre bridge which is to be named after him in fulfilment of an express wish of the former Mayor, Iñaki Azkuna. With this ceremony, construction has started on the bridge designed by the civil engineers, Guillermo Capellán and HéctorBeade (of the engineering firm Arenas & Asociados) to join Deusto from opposite the site of the IMQ Hospital with the island. The bridge will be 75 metres long and have an average width of 28 metres. The bridge…

The demolition of the 6 buildings of the former companyCromoduro, located on the Zorrotzaurre riverbank, began recently. The remaining two buildings will survive as indicated in the Special Plan for rehabilitation and assigning to service uses. The demolition of the buildings, supported by the Basque Government Industrial Ruins Programme is being carried out by the current owner Umpro 2000 S.L. under the strictest waste management guidelines. The demolition will free up almost 10,000 m2 of land for the future uses defined for the area.