“Ponte della Musica” bridge in Rome open to the public

After Renzo Piano's Auditorium - Parco della Musica and Zaha Hadid's MAXXI, the area of Flaminio has been embellished with further contemporary architecture: the Ponte della Musica bridge.

The structure, which spans the Tiber connecting Foro Italico and the area of Flaminio, was designed by international multidisciplinary engineering consultancy Buro Happold, in collaboration with Powell-Williams Architects. The final design and construction of the works was assigned to the Roman company Consta-Consorzio stabile. Overall cost of the work: 8 million euros.

The 190 m span bridge consists of two inclined steel arches carrying a 22m wide steel deck. The arches are supported on concrete piers which incorporate staircases to provide access to leisure facilities on the lower riverbanks. The bridge was initially developed for bicycles and pedestrians, but was later changed to a dual purpose pedestrian and public transport bridge. It connects the Lungotevere Flamino road on the left bank at Piazza Gentile da Fabriano, where the three roads Via Guido Reni, viale Pinturicchio and viale Vignola meet, with the Lungotevere Maresciallo Cadorna road, on the right bank of the river. In this way, the area of Flaminio has a new link with the Sports Arena, Piano's Auditorium, the Maxxi, and the della Vittoria area, which houses the Foro Italico sports complex, the Engineering Corps Museum and the Italian Broadcasting Corporation's Rai Auditorium.

The reinforced concrete piers, which absorb the thrust of the arches taking it down to the ground, are also used as connecting elements between the bridge deck and the leisure facilities on the riverbanks. Accessibility is enhanced by the absence of sloping connecting sections to staircases and the deck section permits excellent flexibility of use of the bridge.