Puente de los Peligros

The Puente de los Peligros or also known as the Puente Viejo is an arched stone bridge, completed in 1742, that spans the River Segura in the city of Murcia .As this is the oldest bridge of the city, it is known as old bridge as opposed to the Puente Nuevo built in 1903.The popular name of Puente de los Peligros is due to the presence on the south side of the bridge of a niche that keeps a wooden statue of Our Lady of the Hazards, work of Francisco Sánchez Araciel.HistoryOn 26 September 1701, an extreme flood event destroyed the 16th-century bridge that used to link the city centre with the right bank of the river and the starting point of the royal road to Cartagena.In 1717, after many delays and after Luis Salas y Sandoval was appointed Mayor of the city, the order to start the works was eventually given. In the same year Toribio Martínez de la Vega presented a description of the materials to be used, and a board of works to deal with the construction was commissioned.In late April 1717, the wood which was to be used for the cofferdam and the scaffolding of the bridge began to be transported from the upper basin of the Segura, taking approximately six months to reach the city.On 10 September 1718 the first stone of the bridge was laid, but soon after the works had to be stopped at the request of Philip V to the municipality of Murcia of 14,000 doubloons for the construction of the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso.