The St Elmo Bridge is a single-span arched
truss
A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure.
In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...
steel
footbridge
A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...
leading from the foreshore of
Fort Saint Elmo
Fort Saint Elmo ( mt, Forti Sant'Iermu) is a star fort in Valletta, Malta. It stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort ...
in
Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 wa ...
,
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, to the breakwater at the entrance of the
Grand Harbour
The Grand Harbour ( mt, il-Port il-Kbir; it, Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks ( Malta Dockyard), wharves, a ...
. It was constructed in 2011–12 to designs of the Spanish architects Arenas & Asociados. The bridge stands on the site of an earlier bridge which had been built in 1906 and which was destroyed during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
in 1941. The original bridge had a similar design to the present one, but it had two spans instead of one.
Original bridge
![S](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/S.L.Cassar%2C_Dg%C4%A7ajsa_tal-latini_heading_under_the_bridge.jpg)
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the
Grand Harbour
The Grand Harbour ( mt, il-Port il-Kbir; it, Porto Grande), also known as the Port of Valletta, is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been substantially modified over the years with extensive docks ( Malta Dockyard), wharves, a ...
was a major British naval base. In 1900 the
Admiralty
Admiralty most often refers to:
*Admiralty, Hong Kong
*Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964
*The rank of admiral
*Admiralty law
Admiralty can also refer to:
Buildings
* Admiralty, Traf ...
began making plans to construct a breakwater so as to protect the harbour from both the rough seas as well as potential enemy intrusion.
The breakwater was built out of
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
and
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...
, and it consisted of two sections with a lighthouse on each end. The larger arm of the breakwater was linked to the foreshore near
Fort Saint Elmo
Fort Saint Elmo ( mt, Forti Sant'Iermu) is a star fort in Valletta, Malta. It stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort ...
, with the smaller one being linked to
Fort Ricasoli
Fort Ricasoli ( mt, Forti Rikażli) is a bastioned fort in Kalkara, Malta, which was built by the Order of Saint John between 1670 and 1698. The fort occupies a promontory known as Gallows' Point and the north shore of Rinella Bay, commanding th ...
. The tender to construct the breakwater was issued in 1902, and it was won by
S. Pearson & Sons. The foundation stone was laid down by King
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...
on 20 April 1903, and work began in 1905 and was completed in 1910.
The total cost of the breakwater was around £1 million.
It was deemed necessary to have a gap between the larger section of the breakwater and the St Elmo foreshore, so as to prevent water inside the harbour from becoming stagnant and also allow small vessels to take a quicker route to the harbour. A steel footbridge was constructed across this gap in 1906, and it consisted of two spans of arched
truss
A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure.
In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...
beams supported on a pair of cylindrical steel columns filled with concrete.
Destruction
![Слима](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/%D0%A1%D0%BB%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B0.jpg)
On the night of 25–26 July 1941, during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the
Decima Flottiglia MAS
The ''Decima Flottiglia MAS'' (''Decima Flottiglia Motoscafi Armati Siluranti'', also known as ''La Decima'' or Xª MAS) (Italian for "10th Assault Vehicle Flotilla") was an Italian flotilla, with commando frogman unit, of the ''Regia Marina'' ...
of the Italian
Regia Marina
The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to ''Marina Militare'' ("M ...
launched an attack on the harbour using
MAS motorboats,
MT explosive motorboat
The explosive motorboat MT (''Motoscafo da Turismo'') also known as ''barchino'' (Italian for "little boat"), was a series of small explosive motor boats developed by the Italian Royal Navy, which was based on its predecessors, the prototype boat M ...
s and SLC ''Maiale''
human torpedoes. One of the SLCs was supposed to attack the bridge,
which had nets blocking the entrance to the harbour,
allowing the other vessels to enter the breach and attack naval shipping inside the harbour. The element of surprise was lost when the British were able to detect the impending attack using radar, which the Italians had not anticipated.
The attack on the bridge was launched at 04:46 on 26 July.
The explosives in the first craft did not detonate, prompting the pilot of another craft to smash his explosive motorboat against the bridge in a suicide mission. The craft hit one of the bridge's columns, and it detonated the explosives in the other boat, causing one of the spans to collapse. This did not allow access to the harbour; on the contrary the collapsed span ended up completely blocking the entrance.
The coastal batteries of
Fort Saint Elmo
Fort Saint Elmo ( mt, Forti Sant'Iermu) is a star fort in Valletta, Malta. It stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort ...
subsequently opened fire on the attackers, and most of the vessels were destroyed, with a few being captured.
The collapsed span was removed after the attack,
and the rest of the bridge was subsequently demolished after the war.
All that remained were the stone abutments on either side and parts of the central columns. The breakwater and lighthouse were subsequently only accessible by boat.
Present bridge
![Malta - Valletta - Triq il-Lanca - St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Malta_-_Valletta_-_Triq_il-Lanca_-_St._Elmo_Bridge_06_ies.jpg)
The intention to construct a replica of the bridge on the site was announced in 2007.
However, it became apparent that a reconstruction in accordance with the original design would not be financially feasible due to the quantity of steel required.
When a tender for design, fabrication and construction of the bridge was issued on 18 September 2009,
it called for a single-span bridge with a new design echoing the style of the original.
The construction of a new bridge formed part of a larger project to regenerate Valletta, which also included the reconstruction of
City Gate and the
Barrakka Lift
The Barrakka Lift is a lift in Valletta, Malta which was constructed in 2012, on the site of a previous lift which had operated from 1905 to 1973 and which was demolished in 1983. It is located inside the ditch of the fortifications of Valletta, ...
, among other projects.
![Malta - Valletta - Triq il-Lanca - St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Malta_-_Valletta_-_Triq_il-Lanca_-_St._Elmo_Bridge_01_ies.jpg)
The single-span steel bridge weighs , and it is long and wide. It has an asymmetrical L-shaped cross section, with an arched truss facing the seaward side. It is supported on the stone abutments of the original bridge, and the remains of the columns were also retained, although they are not connected to the modern bridge. The bridge was designed by the Spanish architects Arenas & Asociados,
and it was fabricated at
A Coruña
A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and s ...
before being shipped to Malta on board the ''Storman Asia''.
Bezzina & Cole Architects along with the contractor Vassallo Builders were responsible for putting the bridge in place, and the installation took place on 5 October 2011. The lighting system was designed by Anthony Magro of Calleja Limited. The project cost €2.8 million.
The bridge was designed to last for 120 years.
The bridge was inaugurated on 24 July 2012 by
Austin Gatt, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications,
and it was subsequently opened to the public.
The bridge received mixed reactions from the public, with some praising its design and the fact that it restored the original appearance of the breakwater, while critics disapproved of the cost of construction and called it a "
bridge to nowhere
A bridge to nowhere is a bridge where one or both ends are broken, incomplete, or unconnected to any roads. If it is an overpass or an interchange, the term overpass to nowhere or interchange to nowhere may be used respectively. There are fi ...
."
Since its inauguration it has become a landmark,
and it has occasionally suffered damage to its decking or railings, which have resulted in it being closed to the public for some periods of time to allow for repair works.
Notes
References
Further reading
Construction of the Grand Harbour breakwater
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Elmo Bridge
Footbridges
Steel bridges
Truss bridges
Bridges in Malta
Buildings and structures in Valletta
Bridges completed in 1906
1906 establishments in Malta
Buildings and structures in Malta destroyed during World War II
Buildings and structures demolished in 1941
1941 disestablishments in Malta
Bridges completed in 2012
2012 establishments in Malta