In the sixteenth century, the authorities decided to improve the condition of the entrance to the city due to the deteriorated state of the existing gate.

With this goal in mind, on February 18, 1572, mayor Alonso Gonzalez de Arteaga issued the order to build the Bridge Gate.

Reasons given focused on the fact that it was one of the city's main gates, handling a high volume of movement in terms of both people and supplies.

In addition to enlarging the gateway, the city's officials wished to improve the artistic merits of the gate as part of an urban renewal.

Complications arose with respect to the design of the door, leading to a spike in the expected cost: the initial budget of 1400 ducats tripled to 3100.