Ponte Carpanini, Turin
The Ponte Carpanini stands out among the huge number of bridges in Turin. It connects the shores of the river Dora Riparia, and is still the only drawbridge in the city. It is small and designed to avoid flood damage.
History of the bridge
Previously, this place was occupied by the bridge of Princess Maria Clotilde built in 1882 during the time of rapid city industrialization. However, during the flood in October 2000, the old bridge was badly damaged. Then, as part of the reconstruction of buildings on the right river bank, it was decided to create a new modern bridge. The project was developed in 2001 by architect Giorgio de Ferrari and engineer Francesco Ossola.
The construction works the cost of which exceeded 2 million euros lasted 16 months and ended in 2002. The bridge is named after Domenico Carpanini, an Italian politician. He was deputy mayor of Turin in 1997–2001. During a local election campaign in 2001, he suddenly died of a stroke.
Bridge design
The Carpanini Bridge is 43 meters long and 12 meters wide. It has 2 lanes for car traffic (width 7.12 m), 2 bicycle lanes (width 2.2 m). There is also a side walkway that has wooden benches. This place offers a good view of the river and its embankment. The bearing structure of the bridge is steel and weighs about 700 tons. It consists of two parallel beams connected by vertical supports.
Since the previous bridge having been destroyed by the flood, this time the creators had taken everything into account. Hydraulic jacks are set in its foundation – they can be lifted to a height of 1.3 meters. By the way, some information about the foundation: the materials from the destroyed bridge of Princess Mary were used again. The 19th-century stones covered the base of the bridge where the lifting mechanism was hidden.
How to get
The Carpanini Bridge is located just north of the center of Turin, in the Aurora region. It connects Via Borgo Dora and Corso Vercelli streets. The Dora Park is located upstream and there is Ponta Mosca down the river. The Emilia stop can be found nearby. It can be reached by tram № 4 and bus № 11, 50, 51, 92 or N04.
