The Puente Romano (Roman Bridge) in Mérida is a Roman bridge over the Guadiana River in the Extremadura region of Spain. It was constructed in 25 BC when Emerita Augusta (modern-day Mérida) was founded. The bridge was partly restored in the 17th century.
The bridge is built of opus caementicium, an old Roman concrete, and finished with an outer skin of ashlars, characteristic of the period.
At approximately 790 meters long, including the approaches, and comprising 60 arches (3 buried on the southern bank), it is the longest surviving bridge from ancient times.
The original bridge was built in two sections with a huge cutwater that stretched upstream to stem the force of the current. A big flood destroyed the cutwater in the 17th century. Five new arches were built to join the two sections of the bridge, making it one long structure. An access ramp links the bridge to the remains of the cutwater, which is now a park.
The bridge carried road traffic for almost its entire history, but it became exclusively pedestrianized on December 10, 1991. Since then, road traffic has been using the nearby Lusitania Bridge.
Next to the bridge is the Alcazaba of Mérida, a Moorish fortification built in 835.
