Walcon has recently completed an installation in the heart of the historic Italian city of Rimini. The project involved the design and build of a floating bridge linking the two banks of the ancient Canal de Ponente. From it, residents and tourists have unparalleled views of the neighbouring 2,000-year old Ponte di Tiberio (Tiberius Bridge), one of the city’s top tourist attractions.
The Walcon bridge, which is 36 metres in length, was fabricated using three heavy duty System 21 pontoons. Each is 12 metres in length and three metres wide and supported by five large floats, giving a live load of at least 300 kilos per square metre. The decking is Siberian larch wood. Its purpose is to provide a new and safe route for foot and bicycle traffic across the canal, with vehicles continuing to use the Ponte di Tiberio. An additional feature is that it can also be opened. Held in place at each end by a hinged guide around a steel pile driven into the canal bed, the bridge can be detached from either bank and swung open to lie alongside the opposite bank if needed. Access to and from the pontoons is via a system of articulated gangways that allow easy passage for those with restricted mobility as well as strollers and bicycles.
The floating bridge is part of a wider project to redevelop the area around the Ponte di Tiberio basin with the intention of making it the centre of the city’s cultural scene. Creating an urban space for artistic and cultural experimentation that slopes down to the canal and the bridges lies at the heart of the project.