The New Steel-and-Light "Doorway" for the City of Padova

The City of Padova is an important trading hub in the north-eastern industrious region of Italy, located near the intersection of the major highways crossing the country in east-west and north-south directions. The ring of speedways that distribute the vehicular flow inside the city was completed by a new viaduct, near the gate of A4 toll road. Its particular location and its relevant functional and architectural values make it the most important access to the city, and this was the expectation of the Public Administration of Padova. The Corso Argentina steel viaduct is 544 m long and 13,5 m wide. It has 11 spans in bending continuity and two separate ways are borne by V-shaped piers that are also in bending continuity at the top. The piers connect with the deck, making a "quasi-integral" bridge; only the lateral piers are not rigidly fixed to their diaphragm-wall foundations, and use steel-Teflon bearings. The typical deck cross section is conceived as a single-cell torsion-resistant shell, its wing shape stiffened only by reticular internal diaphragms. The orthotropic plate at the end of the deck, stiffened by channel-shaped ribs, reaches relevant width at the site of connection with side access lanes, which are served by similar smaller decks.