San Michele Bridge

The San Michele Bridge (Italian: Ponte San Michele), also known as the Paderno Bridge (Italian: Ponte di Paderno), is a multi-level rail and road truss arch bridge across the Adda River in Lombardy, Italy. The bridge connects Paderno d'Adda, Lecco on the west bank with Calusco d'Adda, Bergamo on the east bank.

San Michele Bridge Ponte San Michele
Coordinates	45°40′56″N 9°27′9″E
Carries	Railway and roadway
Crosses	Adda River
Locale	Paderno d'Adda and Calusco d'Adda, Lombardy, Italy
Characteristics
Design	truss arch bridge
Material	Cast-iron
Total length	266 m (873 ft)
Height	85 m (279 ft)
Longest span	150 m (490 ft)
History
Construction start	1887
Construction end	1889
Location

Closeup view of bridge showing upper and lower decks.

The cast-iron bridge was designed by Swiss engineer Jules Röthlisberger and completed in 1889.[1] Not weld, the bridge consists of riveted beams held together by over 100,000 nails.[2] The bridge crosses the upper Adda River gorge that divides the western and eastern parts of Lombardy. With a height of 85 m (279 ft) and a span length of 150 m (490 ft),[3] the San Michele Bridge was one of the largest arch bridges in the world at the time of its completion.

The upper deck of the bridge is a traffic controlled single-lane vehicular roadway and the lower deck is a single-track section of the Seregno–Bergamo railway. Today the bridge also serves as a historical tourist attraction demonstrating late 19th-century engineering ingenuity.[1]

References

1. "Bridge of Paderno d'Adda". InLOMBARDIA. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
2. "San Michele or Paderno Bridge". VisitBergamo. Turismo Bergamo. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
3. "Ponte San Michele". Structurae. Nicolas Janberg. Retrieved 1 January 2021.