Jones Bridge

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Jones Bridge (I)
300px
Jones Bridge (I) over the Pasig River, Manila, Philippines, c1930s
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Carries Vehicular, streetcar and pedestrian traffic
Crosses Pasig River
Locale Manila, Philippines
Preceded by Santa Cruz Bridge (now McArthur Bridge)
Followed by None
Characteristics
Design Neoclassical arch bridge
Material Reinforced concrete
Number of spans 3
Piers in water 5
History
Designer Juan M. Arellano
Constructed by American colonial government in the Philippines
Construction begin 1916
Closed 1945
Replaces Puente de España
Jones Bridge (II)
250px
The present Jones Bridge in 2008
Coordinates same as Jones Bridge (I)
Carries Vehicular and pedestrian traffic
Crosses Pasig River
Locale Manila, Philippines
Preceded by MacArthur Bridge
Followed by Del Pan Bridge (renamed as Roxas Bridge)
Characteristics
Design Girder bridge
Material Concrete
Number of spans 3
Piers in water 2
History
Designer Unknown
Constructed by U.S. Bureau of Public Roads and Philippine Bureau of Public Works
Construction begin 1945
Replaces Jones Bridge (I)

Jones Bridge is a bridge that spans the Pasig River in the Philippines connecting the Manila area of Binondo on Rosario Street (Calle Rosario, now Quintin Paredes Street), with the center of city in Ermita. The previous bridge that connected the two areas was the Puente Grande (Great Bridge), later called the Puente de España (Bridge of Spain) located one block upriver on Nueva Street (Calle Nueva, now E. T. Yuchengco Street). That span was considered as the oldest established in the Philippines.

History

Jones Bridge I

After the floods of September 1914 damaged Puente de España, construction of a replacement bridge was started in 1916 by the American Colonial government, one block downriver from the original location. It was named Jones Bridge after former Virginia Rep. William Atkinson Jones, who was the principal author of the Philippine Autonomy Act of 1916. The Neoclassical design by Juan M. Arellano was an ornate concrete arch bridge. The entrances to the bridge were bordered by pillars topped with a series of statues called La Madre Filipina.[1] The bridge was destroyed by the bombs of World War II.[2][3]

Jones Bridge II

After the war, the bridge was reconstructed by the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads and then Philippine Bureau of Public Works under the Philippine Rehabilitation Act of 1945.[4] Carrying the name of the bridge, the new span was a simple bridge with metal pole railings, bare in design. The war also lost one of the four La Madre Filipina statues; the surviving monuments were moved to other locations in Manila.[5] Two of them now stand near the steps of the Court of Appeals Building while one was moved to Rizal Park.[6]

Present state

Jones Bridge is one of the busiest bridges in the country. Some recent improvements on the current bridge were the addition of street lamps and replacing the old pole railings with stone railings reminiscent of the first Jones Bridge.[7]

See also

References

  1. Tewell, John (2009-03-22). "Figures on Jones Bridge". Flickr. Retrieved on 2011-09-22.
  2. Tewell, John (2009-08-23). "Jones Bridge before World War II". Flickr. Retrieved on 2011-09-18.
  3. "Jones Bridge, National Post Office Building, late 1920s". Flickr. Retrieved on 2011-09-18.
  4. Tilwell, John. (2009-02-09). "Manila February 2, 2009 - Sign on Jones Bridge". Flickr. Retrieved on 2011-09-22.
  5. Tewell, John (2009-08-25)."A walk in Intramuros, Aug. 25, 2009". Flickr. Retrieved on 2011-09-22.
  6. Tewell, John. "Rizal (Luneta) Park, Manila". Flickr. Retrieved on 2011-09-22.
  7. mrbinondo (2008-06-02). "Jones Bridge". Flickr. Retrieved on 2011-09-22.