Ponte Girevole

Ponte Girevole
Ponte Girevole in 2013
Coordinates	40°28′23.62″N 17°14′07.26″E
Locale	The old and new towns of Taranto, Italy
Official name	Ponte di San Francesco di Paola
Characteristics
Design	Swing bridge, with two swinging half-spans
Total length	88.9 metres (292 ft)
Width	9.3 metres (31 ft)
History
Opened	March 10, 1958
Location

The Ponte Girevole is a swing bridge in Taranto, Italy, spanning the navigation canal between Taranto's Mar Grande and the Mar Piccolo. The bridge connects Borgo Antico (Old Town) island to the Borgo Nuovo (new Town) peninsula. The canal was excavated in 1481 as part of the defenses of Taranto. A steel and wood bridge was first built across the canal in 1886. The present steel bridge was built in 1958. Officially titled the Ponte di San Francesco di Paola, the bridge has two swing spans that pivot near the banks of the canal to meet in the middle of the canal. When open, the halves are parallel to the embankment, leaving the width of the canal clear for passage. The bridge is a Taranto landmark.

The canal is 400 metres (1,300 ft) long and 73 metres (240 ft) wide. The first bridge was hydraulically operated using water stored in the Castello Aragonese. The 1958 replacement was designed by the National Society of Savigliano and built in the former Tosi shipyard in Taranto. It was inaugurated on 10 March 1958 by Italian president Giovanni Gronchi. The new bridge is electrically operated from control stations on each embankment. The sequence of operation requires the Old Town span to open to 45 degrees first, then the New Town span opens 90 degrees, and finally the Old Town span opens to its full 90 degrees.

The bridge in the process of opening

Woodcut of the original bridge, Barberis (1898)

External links

• Ponte di Girevole at the Comune di Taranto