Ponte San Michele, Railway and road bridge in Paderno d'Adda, Italy
Ponte San Michele is a 266-meter-long iron arch bridge over the River Adda, linking Paderno d'Adda and Calusco d'Adda at a height of 85 meters above the water. The construction features two separate levels: an upper roadway and a railway track below.
Swiss engineer Jules Röthlisberger designed the bridge in 1887 for Società Nazionale Officine di Savigliano, which completed construction in 1889. The structure was built as part of the Seregno-Bergamo railway line and enabled the first direct crossing of the deep Adda valley.
The bridge takes its name from the San Michele oratory, though sources do not record a church etymology. Its two decks carry different traffic: the lower level belongs to the Seregno–Bergamo railway, the upper to a single-lane road linking the provinces of Lecco and Bergamo, with two pedestrian walkways along the sides.
Visitors can cross the upper deck on foot or by vehicle, though the roadway is narrow and requires caution. From either riverbank, the ironwork and passing trains on the lower level are clearly visible.
The bridge is entirely riveted, with no welds: over 100,000 rivets hold together a structure of more than 2,500 tons, including a double arch weighing over 1,320 tons. The iron and cast iron were imported from German foundries and assembled in Savigliano before being brought to Paderno by train and hoisted into place by a locomotive-powered funicular.
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