Structurae

A new cable-stayed footbridge has been recently realized at the harbour of the city of Pescara, in central Italy, to connect the southern and northern coasts of the city seafront, which are divided by the Pescara River. The bridge was designed in its original form as a suspended structure with two curved decks joined at both ends. The mast, positioned between the decks, is designed to resemble, together with the steel cables, a sail. Considerations involving the structural response of the structure, in particular to dynamic loading on the two decks, suggested employing a stiffer cable-stayed solution. A new configuration with one layer of cable stays per deck was then proposed to avoid the problems generated by the previous solution, with both decks suspended to a single cable. In this way, the structural behaviour is more efficient, less deformable and the aesthetic quality of the bridge is valorized.