Modular Steel Bridge from Acrow Provides Temporary Replacement for Collapsed Span in Northern Italy
Rapid response and installation minimize traffic and economic impacts
(Parsippany, New Jersey) – Acrow, a leading international bridge engineering and supply company, noted today it has supplied a temporary modular bridge to enable the passage of vehicles during the rehabilitation of Ponte Lenzino in the Trebbia River Valley in northern Italy. Located in the Apennine Mountains, the region is an extremely popular year-round tourist destination known for its natural beauty and rich cultural history.
Near the small town of Bobbio, Ponte Lenzino carries traffic over the Trebbia River on national roadway S.S.45. Built in the late 1800s, the masonry bridge has undergone numerous structural adjustments, but in October 2020, heavy flooding caused the collapse of the intermediate pier and the two inner spans, resulting in an immediate impact to traffic, which was forced to take a 15 km detour through mountainous roads. The long detour was of particular concern during the global pandemic, as it resulted in the delay of emergency medical response to neighboring communities.
The Italian Road Authority (ANAS) began work to restore the crossing immediately after the collapse, and named Pesaresi Giuseppe S.p.A. as contractor. A temporary panel bridging system was considered early in the planning process to enable the rapid restoration of the crossing on a temporary basis quickly, safely and efficiently. Of critical importance was the robustness of the solution to serve local communities for the duration of the multi-year reconstruction of the damaged bridge.
The Acrow bridge designed for the project is a single span 700XS®, 54.86 meters long and 7.35 meters wide to carry two lanes of traffic and is engineered for heavy Eurocode loads up to 44 metric tonnes.
With re-opening of the route so crucial, bridge construction was completed in 12 days and the bridge was opened to traffic on July 6th. It is anticipated that the Acrow bridge will remain in place for a minimum of two years, however, the timeline is dependent on the completion of the new permanent bridge and the challenging location in which it will be built in the Trebbia River Valley.
“With decades of experience responding to crises across the globe, Acrow is a trusted leader in restoring transportation lifelines quickly, safely and reliably,” said Marco Mazzucato, Business Development and Project Manager, based at Acrow’s offices in Rome. “Our strong commitment to service excellence and our ability to provide customized solutions to contractors resulted in a successful collaboration with a specialized Italian steel erector to perform the installation in the shortest time while assuring the highest quality and safety standards.”
Paul Sullivan, President – International Business at Acrow Bridge, added, “It is a privilege to participate in such an important and unique rehabilitation project. While Acrow bridges have been installed permanently in Italy for many years, this project is a wonderful example of the versatility of our modular structures. Designed and manufactured with high-strength galvanized steel, and easily transported and installed, Acrow’s solutions are designed to serve a wide range of applications, both permanent and temporary, with a service life of 75-100 years.”
About Acrow
Acrow has been serving the transportation and construction industries for more than 70 years with a wide range of modular steel bridging solutions for permanent, temporary, military and emergency use. Acrow’s extensive international presence includes leadership in the development and implementation of bridge infrastructure projects in over 150 countries across Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.acrow.com.
