Adriatic Railway is the railroad linking the northern cities of Po valley with the most important productive areas of central and southern Italy until Apulia: it runs along the Adriatic Coast and represents a backbone of Italian transportation network. Built in 1860s, the railroad passed under control of Rete Ferroviaria Italiana (RFI) and experienced several expansions leading to the present double-track layout. The increased transportation needs of recent years are now requiring an upgrade process characterized by strengthening or substitution of critical structures, in order to bring travel speed to 200km/h. Within this context, RFI has appointed SYSTRA SWS for designing the full replacement of three bridges and the associated civil works in the cities of Fano and Senigallia.
SYSTRA SWS was in charge of planning the dismantling and launching phases, together with detailed design of the new bridges. The requirement of minimizing traffic interruptions and impact on the surrounding urban context makes the construction schedule as critical as the adopted technical solutions. The bridges, with double-track deck, are made of steel and span from approximately 30 to 60m. The diverse background conditions and necessity of enhancing the complex urban environment led to different structural layouts for each site: a shallow steel box girder in Fano, a traditional truss beam and an iconic tied-arch in Senigallia.