Ponte Adriatico, Cable-stayed bridge in Bari, Italy
Ponte Adriatico is a cable-stayed bridge with a single central steel pylon 78 m tall, shaped as an inverted Y and skewed 60 degrees. Its 30 cables, 15 per side (7 on one side, 8 on the other), form a harp pattern. The total length is 626 m with a 225 m cable-stayed span split into two 112.5 m spans. It crosses four rail bundles, linking the Marconi and Stanic districts.
The bridge opened in December 2016 as a major infrastructure project addressing transportation needs in the city. It connected previously separated areas and improved how traffic flows across the region.
The bridge's name was chosen by the city of Bari after an online poll had been won by "Ponte Harambe", a reference to the gorilla killed at Cincinnati Zoo, with over 100,000 votes; the municipality ignored the result. The single 78-metre steel pylon, shaped like an inverted Y and slanted at 60 degrees, is what residents use to orient themselves between the Marconi and Stanic districts.
The bridge links the roundabout on viale Giuseppe Tatarella with the one on via Tommaso Fiore, joining the Marconi and Stanic districts. It crosses four rail bundles: three RFI lines (towards Bitritto, towards Taranto and the Adriatica) and a branch of the Bari–Barletta railway. Approach it from either roundabout to walk or drive across.
Beneath the bridge sits one of Italy's largest covered recreational spaces featuring a skate park and two basketball courts. These sports facilities are tucked into the space under the cable spans.
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