Piave River Viaduct
Piave River Viaduct
Viadotto Piave
Cadore Viaduct
Viadotto Cadore
Caralte, Veneto, Italy
604 feet high / 184 meters high
836 foot span / 255 meter span
1985
Image courtesy of Cimolai construction.
One of the largest and highest strut frame bridges ever built, the Piave River or Cadore viaduct is located along Italy’s beautiful SS51 motorway about 70 miles (113 kilometers) north of Venice. Cutting across a deep, rocky gorge, the bridge was completed in a fashion similar to the two previous Italian strut bridges over the Sfalassa and Platano gorges.
Italians have a unique method of constructing their largest frame bridges in huge sections and then slowly lowering these giant pieces into their final position. For Piave, each of the two massive struts was first put together along the bridge approaches. The 280 foot (85 meter) long struts were then pushed outward in one piece over either side of the canyon and carefully rotated into a vertical position before being lowered down to a hinge. They were then slowly tilted out over the canyon - held back by cables and winches. Finally, long portions of the road deck were pulled across the top of the struts and connected together. The Piave crossing is the 5th highest bridge in Italy.
Piave River Viaduct Elevation
Image courtesy of Cimolai construction.
Image courtesy of Cimolai construction.
Piave strut move diagram.
Image courtesy of Cimolai construction.
Cadore Bridge strut move sequence.
Image courtesy of Cimolai construction.
Image courtesy of Cimolai construction.
Image courtesy of Cimolai construction.
Image courtesy of Cimolai construction.
Piave River Viaduct construction sequence.
Image courtesy of Cimolai construction.
Image courtesy of Cimolai construction.
Image courtesy of Cimolai construction.
The Cadore Bridge consists of three separate viaducts. The second one crosses over the Piave River.
Piave Bridge map plan.
Piave River Viaduct box beam cross section.
Piave Bridge satellite image.
Piave Bridge location map.
