It was originally one of those historic fords on the Duero which, in times of flooding, was crossed by a boat. In the 16th century this ford was replaced by what is now the imposing bridge over the Duero, the eastern gateway to the municipality of La Vid (or Linares de la Vid), right at the foot of its Monastery.

Construction began on the initiative of the Mendoza family (1532), although work was halted three years later and the bridge was reduced to a few beams whose crossing was very risky, causing numerous fatal accidents. In 1603 Bartolomé Joly commented that they crossed the riverbed by wading across it, which gives an idea of its situation.

The general crisis of the 17th century must have contributed to the bridge not being repaired, as in 1739 it was practically in ruins and two of its ten vaults had collapsed. Repaired in 1753 by Marcos de Vierna, it soon threatened ruin again, and remained so until 1780, when the monastery itself planned a reconsolidation.

When the crossing became part of the road from Valladolid to Calatayud in the second half of the 19th century, the slope was partially eliminated and the masonry was repaired with a stone that was considerably lighter than the original one.

This bridge served the national road 122 between Valladolid and Soria until the beginning of the 1990s, but since ancient times it has been carrying very heavy traffic which, fortunately, has decreased considerably since the construction of the Duero dual carriageway, thanks to the construction of a new bridge just a few metres from the historic stone bridge.

This 136-metre-long structure was renovated by the Ministry of Public Works in 2019 after several serious damages were discovered.

Technically speaking, it is oriented north-south and is an ashlar bridge with ten barrel vaults. It is currently 21 feet wide (6 metres) and has ten vaults of varying spans, the largest being the central ones, and decreasing towards the margins, giving it a gently sloping profile, which is also defined by a projecting fascia on the face. Attached to the piers (upstream) there are pointed and rectangular cutwaters downstream, which in two of them reach the deck to form sidings. The original parapet has been preserved, topped by a semicircular coping.

You can see more riverside bridges over the Duero here.