New San Giuseppe Bridge – Cesenatico

The Municipal Administration of Cesenatico, following a selection by invitation, has entrusted Binini Partners with the task of carrying out the geological study, the technical-economic and executive feasibility design, and the coordination of safety during the design phase, relating to the renovation of the Ponte di San Giuseppe (also known as the “Ponte del Gatto”) in Viale Cecchini.

A project that marks the beating heart of Cesenatico: the Ponte di San Giuseppe becomes a gateway to innovation, mobility and a new vision for the future of the canal port and the city.

Following the analyses carried out on the existing bridge and the observations that were made in the preliminary phase, it was deemed necessary to build a completely new bridge with the demolition of the existing one.

The chosen solution is the one of intermediate length, with a span of 23.60 m, with asymmetric pedestrian overhangs, that is, only the one downstream with a “balcony” on the canal port, and with the road division on the upstream side with a two-way cycle path in its own location on the downstream side. This solution has allowed the design of a solid, but at the same time slim structure that allows to maintain a low construction cost.

The basis of the design of the new bridge is the need to raise the support levels to take it completely out of the average high tide range of the canal.

Other choices that were made in the design phase are due to the fact that the San Giovanni bridge is located at the end of the Leonardesco canal port, a place steeped in history and of particular value for the municipality of Cesenatico. An important aspect that has influenced the design and the architectural aspects of finishing and detail, in order to give the canal a scenographic backdrop to close the port.

The chosen architectural solution includes a slight rise to recall the shape of the old stone bridge with the underlying arches, in contrast to the current concrete bridge with a completely horizontal driveway. The intrados, for structural reasons, was instead kept horizontal without any hint of rise in order to facilitate the assembly and prefabrication of the load-bearing part.

Another aspect taken into consideration in the design concerned the maintenance or otherwise of the central piers, which currently exist, which divide the bridge into three spans. Building a bridge with central piers would probably have allowed the design of a more streamlined and simple structure, but at the expense of a significant reduction in the flow section which, in light of the recent flood events that have also affected these geographical areas and the ongoing climate changes, was deemed no longer practicable.

For this reason, a solution that included a single-span bridge with support piers on the banks of the canal port was evaluated more favorably in order to guarantee the widest possible span from a hydraulic point of view.

Over the years, Binini Partners has already carried out some important works for the municipality of Cesenatico on the Leonardesco canal port, including the Porte Vinciane, Piazza Spose dei Marinai and all the urban design of the ancient canal port. In these projects we used architectural elements in concrete covered with exposed bricks to cover the docks of the port. The same solution will also be proposed at this point, where the docks will be subject to minimal reconstruction for the construction of the foundation structures of the bridge, which are planned to be built on deep piles on which the support cushions of the structure will be built.