Ponte Vespucci Closed

Florence’s Ponte Vecchio will be off-limits to traffic and pedestrians for a minimum of six months starting on November 26, 2018 as restoration work kicks off.  Ponte Vespucci was created by civil engineer Riccardo Morandi (1902-1989) who also designed the Ponte Morandi in Genoa, part of which collapsed on August 14, 2018 resulting in 39 victims, including four from Tuscany.  The Vespucci bridge is not slated to reopen until summer 2019.

Sensors to monitor the bridge’s stability will be added and scuba divers will take a close-up look in order to file a report on the bridge’s stability. The concrete in Ponte Vespucci’s  structure will be substituted for the most part, and the cement pylons reinforced.  To read more in Italian, visit Florence’s La Repubblica news site.