|
|
|
|
|
|
[Regions of
Italy] 
[Back to Venice]
After
several years of construction delays, Venice is finally about to get its first new bridge across the Grand
Canal since 1934. This fourth bridge was designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. In January,
2007, construction crews began driving piles for the new bridge between Piazzale Roma (where all cars and
buses must stop) and Santa Lucia Railway Station (gateway to Venice proper). The bridge's prefabricated sections
were floated to the construction site by barge in August, and on some as yet unknown
magical night, the new bridge will be installed and opened to the public.
The new bridge will be a long, sweeping curve of glass and steel that should fit in with both the historic buildings on the Piazzale Roma side of the canal and the 1950s modernity of Venice's main railway station. It will also be convenient for travelers, who'll no longer have to go out of their way to cross the canal via the Ponte dei Scalzi or pay to ride the vaporetto. Lights will be set in the floor of the bridge to create an illuminated path spanning the canal, clearly visible at night. The structure will be accessible to the disabled: a cabin will be hidden in the pylons at the base of the bridge when not in use, appearing only when it is needed. The cabin, with room for two people, will travel along a track, stopping at the top of the bridge to permit enjoyment of the view. Work on the project, with a budget of over 6 million euros, was delayed right at the start when digging revealed the ruins of a nineteenth-century railway warehouse, now removed.
We will be sure to let you know when the bridge is finally completed and most importantly, what it will be called! [Regions of
Italy] [Back to Venice]