Ponte Cittadella, Modern bridge in Alessandria, Italy.

Ponte Cittadella is a road and pedestrian bridge in Alessandria, designed by Richard Meier and opened in 2016. A single white arch rises above the deck and is tied to it by a regular row of slender vertical cables. The bridge rests on concrete abutments at each end, with lights along the deck edges and the arch base.

A first wooden bridge at this crossing is documented on 8 November 1168, after the founding of Alessandria; a stone bridge was begun in 1455 under Francesco Sforza, with engineers Guiniforte and Pietro Antonio Solari, and completed only around the end of the 15th century after floods in 1463 and 1486. Further collapses and rebuildings followed, including a covered timber-roofed version in the early 17th century and a reconstruction by Giacomo Solari after 1707. The bridge was demolished in 2009 and replaced by a new structure designed by Richard Meier, built between 2012 and 2016.

The bridge connects the city center of Alessandria to the Cittadella, an 18th-century fortress on the opposite bank of the Tanaro. Walking across it, you move between the urban fabric of the modern city and the thick walls of the old military compound.

The bridge has a dedicated pedestrian path that keeps walkers away from traffic, making it easy and safe to cross on foot. Views of the river and the fortress on the far bank are best appreciated from the middle of the crossing.

The bridge has an asymmetrical profile, with curves that run in opposite directions and an open void down the center between the two traffic lanes. This gap is clearly visible from the riverbank and gives the structure an unusually light appearance for a bridge of its size.