Faenza, the city center and Borgo Durbecco finally return to “embrace” each other, as the traffic on the two bridges changes

Riccardo Isola – Almost exactly one year after the second flood that hit the area, the city center and Borgo Durbecco will finally be connected again. On Friday, in fact, after engineering work that lasted a few months, it will be open to traffic both along the recently built temporary Bailey-type bridge and along the Ponte delle Grazie which is the subject of an extraordinary maintenance intervention which led to the structure being seriously reinforced. weakened by floods.

WORKS AND RESOURCES
It was November 8, 2023 when work began on the construction of the Bailey Bridge. First the construction of the two access ramps, then came the deck to be assembled on site and finally the construction of the entrance roads on both sides of the temporary structure. Around 800 thousand euros were invested in its construction. The bridge was built by the Janson Bridging company of Brescia and is 78 meters long, with a single span. As regards the reconstruction of the Ponte delle Grazie, these works only served to allow temporary transit because the structure will still have to be completely redone with an estimated cost of at least 4.5 million euros.

OPENING MOMENT
Before reopening to traffic, a moment is planned in which representatives of the institutions and the Commissioner’s Structure for reconstruction in the areas affected by the flood will take part. The short ceremony will start at 11.30, from the car park in via Renaccio near the access ramp to the Bailey Bridge, with the blessing of the new metal structure by the Vicar of the Diocese of Faenza and Modigliana, Rev. Don Michele Morandi. Once the ceremony is completed, traffic will be opened on both the Bailey Bridge and the Grazie Bridge.

ROAD ORGANIZATION
The road system in the area of ​​the two bridges includes traffic regulated by the roundabout on via Renaccio, at the intersection with via Lapi. The Bailey bridge will be one-way for motor vehicles heading towards Bologna – Forlì (from the center towards the Borgo) with a maximum speed limit of 30 km/h. Transit prohibited for pedestrians, bicycles, vehicles with a mass exceeding 10 tonnes, vehicles or groups of vehicles with a length exceeding 8 metres. In via Torretta, the maximum speed limit is 30 km/h and there is a transit ban for all vehicles with a mass greater than 3.5 tonnes except minibuses. In Piazza Lanzoni, in the stretch between number 6 and number 13 (in the commercial activity area), a one-way traffic direction is established with the Bologna-Forlì direction. The situation concerning the Ponte delle Grazie instead provides for a one-way traffic for motor vehicles heading towards Forlì-Bologna (from the Borgo towards the centre) with a maximum speed limit of 30 km/h. Here there is a ban on vehicles with a maximum capacity exceeding 3.5 tonnes, except for minibuses. Pedestrian and bicycle traffic will continue to be ensured along the Ponte delle Grazie according to the new signs.