New Florence Bridge Nearing Completion

A new bridge, part of the major Line 3 tramway expansion project, is set to connect the southern area of Florence between the Bellariva and Gavinana neighborhoods, with construction starting back in April of 2024. It was initially reported to open in October of 2026, as  confirmed by Andrea Giorgio, councilor for mobility for the City of Florence in FirenzeToday. However, news reports forecast the bridge being completed earlier, which could speed up the timeline of the project as a whole.

This project is part of the T3 tramline construction effort. The planned T3 tram was designed with the goal of linking the south-east of the city, including Bagno a Ripoli, to Piazza della Libertà, the northernmost point of Florence’s historic center. The T3 line is just one of several tram works and expansions planned for 2025, and has moved with efficiency towards this ultimate goal.

The finished bridge will provide three traffic lanes, as well as sidewalks and bike paths. This multi-lane design would hopefully ease traffic congestion and is intended to integrate fully with current and future transport infrastructure.

Florence’s tramlines continue a trend of expansion with the 2.2 extension connecting the existing T2 tram to the Castello railway station and over 12.2km of new track being built over the next few years. These continued projects will serve the almost 39 million people who use the public transit system in Florence each year and the 100,000 journeys made daily. The clear demand and utilization of the public transit system, and in particular the tram, may account for the bridge’s accelerated opening.

The bridge is now set to open to the public in January. With the timeline of this section of the T3 project being completed months before the intended date, travel between not only Florence and Bagno a Ripoli but the city as a whole continues to become ever more accessible. (Caroline Woodward)