Costa Viola Bridge

Costa Viola Bridge
Viadotto Costa Viola
Favazzina, Calabria, Italy
(350) feet high / (107) meters high
591 foot span / 180 meter span
1972-2015

Costa Viola Bridge was a cantilevered concrete beam span on the coastal Calabria section of the A3 motorway in Italy. The structure was imploded in 2015 sealing its fate forever into the history books as one of Italy's early high level bridge spans.

Built in several sections throughout the 1970s, the Autostrada Napoli-Reggio Calabria or A3 motorway stretches 300 miles (483 kms) from Napoli to the tip of Italy’s boot near the island of Sicily. With dozens of tunnels and towering bridges, it is a showcase of Italian engineering. The last few miles of the motorway traverse some of the most spectacular coastal terrain in all of Italy. Crossing the deepest of these ravines is the Sfalassà gorge bridge, the highest and longest span frame bridge in the world.

The main span was reportedly 180 meters.

Image by Martin Mergili.

Costa Viola Bridge satellite image.

Costa Viola Bridge location map.