Landmark bridge was damaged by fire in 2021.

Rome's Ponte di Ferro reopened on Thursday after the city carried out major works to widen and strenghten the landmark bridge between the Ostiense and Marconi districts.

Known officially as Ponte dell'Industria, the 130m-long structure was seriously damaged in a massive fire in October 2021 and has been closed to traffic for almost two years.

The bridge was inaugurated without its iconic arches which will be reinstalled in the coming months, following their restoration.

The ambitious infrastructure scheme got underway in July 2023, with the city calling on the help of Norwegian experts who build oil rigs, the city said.

Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Italy's transport minister Matteo Salvini opened the new bridge whose works cost €18 million, with €13 million coming from Jubilee funds and the rest financed by the city.

Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri reopens the new Ponte di Ferro bridge today after almost two years of works following a massive fire in 2021. pic.twitter.com/Yf17xir7cp

— Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) March 20, 2025

The new, stronger bridge can hold all types of vehicles, including city buses, and has protected cycle lanes on either side.

The old bridge had a capacity of seven tons and could not support buses, however the new structure can carry up to 26 tons.

The bridge will be incorporated into the routes of two bus lines: the 96 from Corviale and the 780 from EUR, both serving Ostiense.

The first vehicles to cross the bridge on Thursday were greeted with applause from workers and local residents.

Hailing it as a "titanic" job, Gualtieri acknowledged that the city had been overly optimistic to expect the bridge to be open last December but claimed that there are "few cases in which a bridge of that complexity is built in less than two years".

A brief history of Ponte di Ferro

The 130m-long bridge was built between 1862 and 1863 by a Belgian company to link the railway line of Civitavecchia to Roma Termini railway station.

The structural work was completed in England, with the bridge moved in sections to Rome where it was mounted.

In 1911, with the opening of the new station of Trastevere, the railway line was moved to the new Ponte San Paolo, further upstream.

The exterior of the 160-year-old structure was badly damaged by fire on the night of 2-3 October 2021.

Photo Wanted in Rome 20 March 2025