Florence has a new bridge over the Arno: watch the timelapse

Florence has a new bridge over the Arno. On Friday morning, 27 February, crews completed the launch of the new road bridge connecting the Bellariva area on the north bank with the Anconella and Albereta parks on the south bank, as part of the city’s tramway expansion.

The operation, which lasted several hours, drew dozens of residents to the nearby Ponte da Verrazzano and to the riverbanks to watch the 140-metre deck being moved into place. Building a new bridge over the Arno is a rare event in Florence: the city has not seen a new road crossing of this kind for decades.

Mayor Sara Funaro, Regional President Eugenio Giani and Councillor for Mobility Andrea Giorgio attended the launch. The timelapse was taken from the Corriere Fiorentino website.

A bridge for cars, linked to the tramway works

The new structure will be used by cars, while tram tracks will occupy a large portion of the existing Ponte da Verrazzano. The aim is to redistribute traffic flows between the two sides of the river and improve connections between eastern neighbourhoods of Florence.

The bridge has a total length of about 180 metres, with two spans of roughly 100 and 80 metres, and a width of 17.45 metres. It includes three traffic lanes — two northbound towards Lungarno Colombo and Bellariva, and one southbound towards via di Villamagna — as well as two lateral pedestrian and cycle paths.

Under the deck, on both riverbanks, a 5-metre-high passage will allow maintenance and emergency vehicles to pass. Lighting will combine lamppost towers for the roadway with integrated linear lighting along the balustrades for the pedestrian and cycle paths.

The deck positioned this week represents about two-thirds of the final structure. The last steel հատված, known as the “becco”, is being assembled on the Bellariva side and will be launched in around six weeks. After welding and finishing works, the bridge is expected to open to traffic between the end of May and early June, barring delays.

Changes to the Albereta and Anconella park area

On the south bank, works also include changes inside the Albereta park. A tennis court has already been relocated, and a new skate park is planned in its place. Internal paths will be repaved, new street furniture and picnic areas installed, and a green buffer with trees created along the fence of the Publiacqua site to reduce its visual impact.

A new small docking area for light river craft is also included in the project.

According to city officials, the bridge is part of a wider intervention that includes not only tram tracks but also a significant renewal of underground utilities, such as water and other service networks.

Social media poll to choose the name

To mark what she described as a historic day for Florence, Mayor Funaro has launched a social media poll inviting residents to choose the name of the new bridge. The four proposals are all dedicated to women:

• Rita Levi-Montalcini, Nobel Prize-winning scientist.
• Caterina and Nadia Nencioni, victims of the 1993 Via dei Georgofili Mafia bombing in Florence.
• Tina Anselmi, the first woman to serve as a minister in the Italian Republic.
• Gilda Larocca, a partisan in the Florentine Resistance during the Second World War.

The poll will remain open for a few more days, allowing residents to take part in the decision. The final choice will formally name Florence’s newest bridge over the Arno, linking Bellariva and the Anconella park area as the tramway project moves forward.

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