Utente:Alessandro57/Sandbox

In the thirties of the 20th century, the insufficiency of the ancient Milvio bridge to carry off the traffic exiting the city on the director of the Cassia and Flaminia consular roads, coupled with the need to provide for a spectacular entrance to the capital for the traffic coming from the north, led to the establishment of a series of measures: a variant upstream of the current Via Cassia Vecchia (to join in a variant the old via Flaminia), and the construction of a new bridge, which should have been called "XXVIII October" in memory of the date the March on Rome. [1]

Armando Brasini, who had already begun to realize nearby the church of Piazza Euclide, Villa Manzoni and his dwelling at the Milvian Bridge, was appointed as designer. For structures, the engineer in charge was Aristide Giannelli. The project submitted by Brasini to Mussolini included a huge monumental arch that emulated the Roman triumphal arches. The Duce, who often intervened on the designs of its designers, however, made eliminate the arc and simplified the project. Brasini seemed to willingly accept the change, saying it appeared that the project so had its amplitude and originality enhanced (P.Nicoloso).

The work, entrusted to the company TECNOBETON, began in 1938, namely on the eve of World War II; for this reason it was discontinued in 1943 when some facilities already completed underwent damages because of the war, to resume only in 1947 and finish in 1951

In the new Republic the bridge should have change its name to "Liberty Bridge", however was preferred a name consistent with that of the first section of the variant of the Via Cassia, which it would have served. (the stretch from the bridge to Via Antonio de Viti de Marco, after being originally called via Caio Flaminio and then via Cassia nuova, was renamed in 1959 Corso di Francia) In fact, this is the first monumental bridge over the Tiber in northern Rome, servicing the historic route of the Via Flaminia; since 1960 it is connected to the viaduct of Corso di Francia, that from the Tor di Quinto neighborhood joins the Parioli district over passing the 1960 Olympic village.

In the early sixties the bridge was closed to the traffic due to a structural problem at the fifth pylon, causing a collapse of the roadway; The renovation work were led by engineers Carè Arrigo and Giorgio Giannelli, while in order to absorb the traffic just upstream a Bailey bridge was staged (pictured above, the background of the river and below the main arch, is one of the visible piers of the bridge Bailey, now demolished) The bridge was reopened in 1964, when the completion of the ring road and the new Fiumicino airport had significantly reduced its role as a main entrance to the Eternal City

The bridge, which measures 254.94 meters long and 27 wide, spread over five arches and is entirely made of concrete covered with travertine marble conspicuous due to warm shades of white Spectacular staircases raise the two wide sidewalks, on which rise cylindrical stone drums carrying eagles and lampposts. His profile is reminiscent of the near Ponte Milvio, with enormously emphasized proportions, obtaining a monumental and imposing structure.