Renovation of the 17th-Century Ponte Lungo Bridge in Chioggia, Italy

In the 17th century the town of Chioggia, located in the Italian Venetian Lagoon, was connected to the mainland by an unreinforced masonry bridge called Ponte Lungo (long bridge) composed of an elegant sequence of masonry arches. The bridge withstood the many vicissitudes that this part of Italy lived through as well as the increase in static and dynamic loads brought by the 20th century. However, excessively heavy reinforced concrete additions made in the 1950s to accommodate both motorized vehicles and pedestrians quickly deteriorated by concrete spalling and rebar corrosion because of inadequate design and the aggressive environment, and the additions could not provide for the ongoing increases in needed capacity. This paper describes the design and construction of the recent Ponte Lungo renovation, which is part of a massive safeguarding effort for the Venetian Lagoon carried out by the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport together with the Venice Water Authority via the Consorzio Venezia Nuova Concessionaire (New Venice Consortium). The recent renovation of the bridge reconciled the basic idea that the original beauty of Ponte Lungo should be given back to the town of Chioggia with the need for a modern highway with sidewalks and bike paths that make the bridge a "plaza on the water" to be enjoyed by inhabitants and tourists. Construction problems were taken into account from the very beginning of the design stage, and this resulted in a very speedy and efficient construction. Design took 10 months to complete, whereas construction took about 2 years for the 200 m long bridge. The bridge was dedicated and opened to traffic on June 2, 2004.