The new bridges reshaping Milan

A large number of new bridges are under construction in Milan: suspended crossings designed not only to span the city’s many canals and rivers – reminders of its origins as a city of water – but also to tackle mobility and livability issues that are becoming increasingly pressing as the city prepares for this winter’s Olympic Games.

Between the Adriano district and Cascina Gobba, two steel bridges have already been installed, each 35 meters long and weighing 135 tons, spanning the Martesana Canal between Via Idro and Via San Mamete. They are part of the new tram line 7, stretching about 1,400 meters, which will connect Via Adriano (at the intersection with Via Vipiteno), Via San Mamete, Via Padova, Via Rizzoli, and the Cascina Gobba M2 station. Funded with around €37 million from the PNRR, the project will be completed by the end of 2026 and become operational in early 2027.

Though perhaps the most necessary for easing congestion along some of the city’s busiest roads, these two Martesana crossings are far from the most spectacular bridges currently being built in Milan. To find the most talked-about project, we have to move southwest to Piazza Tirana, in the Lorenteggio/Giambellino district, where work has begun on a new pedestrian and cycle bridge connecting Lorenteggio and Ronchetto sul Naviglio with the San Cristoforo M4 station.

The project is by the Milan-based studio Aoumm, which has been behind a series of public works in Milan and its metropolitan area, most recently a Save the Children center in the historic Gallaratese district. Beyond regenerating Piazza Tirana with a new park featuring play areas, bike sharing, shaded spots and social spaces, the project “Attra/verso San Cristoforo” introduces a bridge conceived as a suspended, intertwined ribbon over the Naviglio Grande. Painted white – for some, an open invitation to tags – the bridge rests on steel pillars, each clad in a unique finish, color, and shape. Every pillar playfully pays homage to a master who helped shape 20th-century Milan – Aldo Rossi, Gae Aulenti, Angelo Mangiarotti, Alessandro Mendini, Franco Albini, Gio Ponti – echoing their constructive and formal vocabulary.

Coming in 2026 as well are a pedestrian and cycle bridge across the Vettabbia Canal in the Ripamonti district, and another bridge over the Lambro River in Forlanini Park. Following the “Grande Parco Forlanini” masterplan, this bridge will connect the two sides of the park currently divided by the river: the existing eastern section and the western extension still under development, where sports facilities and the municipal dog shelter on Via Aquila are also located.

Opening image: Photo Fabio Petronilli, Courtesy Aoumm