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[Regions of
Italy] 
[Back to Venice]
After several years of construction delays, Venice finally has
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, passing right under Ponte
Rialto, as shown at right.
The
new bridge is officially named Ponte della Costituzione but in classic Italian fashion, everyone ignores that
and refers to it as Ponte Calatrava. A long, sweeping curve of glass and steel, it was designed to 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 in the
floor of the bridge 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. Finally, on the mythical night
of September 11, 2008, the new bridge was opened to the public.
[Regions of
Italy] [Back to Venice]