From July 7 to 9, 2025, the educational field trip took place for students of the Theory and Design of Bridges course in the Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering at the Università Politecnica delle Marche, in Ancona. The initiative was organized by Professor Fabrizio Gara, the course instructor, and included the participation of students, PhD candidates, and research fellows from the research group coordinated by the professor, as well as colleagues Sandro Carbonari and Vanni Nicoletti, both professors in Structural Engineering at the Department of Excellence DICEA.
The 16 participants had the opportunity, over the course of the three days, to visit various works of particular interest.
DAY 1: the visit focused on two bridges designed by Prof. Eng. Luigino Dezi (DSD S.r.l.): the first, a steel bowstring bridge, located in Casette d’Ete (MC) over the Ete Morto river; the second, the “Filomena Delli Castelli” cable-stayed bridge over the Saline River, with a twin-girder composite deck, between the municipalities of Montesilvano and Città Sant’Angelo (PE). During the visit, the group also had the pleasure of being accompanied by the designer himself, Prof. Eng. Luigino Dezi, who provided in-depth and particularly interesting explanations about the design and construction aspects of the two bridges.
DAY 2: The group was hosted by Webuild, one of the leading companies in the infrastructure sector at both national and international levels. The group was welcomed with great courtesy and expertise by engineers Salvatore Lieto and Natale Corina, who gave a detailed overview of the project, organization, and progress of the works related to megalot 3 of the SS 106 Jonica, with a total value of about 1.2 billion euros. The day continued with guided visits to the construction sites of some of the most representative works of the project: the Avena and Straface bridges, both made of steel with orthotropic plate decks and currently in the launching phase, a technically complex and visually impressive operation. The group also visited a double-barrel artificial tunnel built with prefabricated elements and a natural tunnel about 3,200 meters long, currently being excavated simultaneously from four end sides and four intermediate ones, made accessible via a specially built side tunnel. The experience offered participants an important opportunity to engage with the operational reality of a large infrastructure construction site and highlighted the high level of engineering, planning, and organization that characterizes the activity of Webuild and its professionals.
DAY 3: the visit included the world’s longest Tibetan bridge, built in Castelsaraceno (PZ) entirely in steel, with tensioned cables spanning 586 meters, and the famous Musmeci Bridge over the Basento River in Potenza, built in the 1970s in reinforced concrete with a structural concept that is original and unique on a global scale. During the return journey, the group also took the opportunity to inspect a simply supported pre-stressed reinforced concrete bridge, partially collapsed following a flood event. The failure highlighted the significant vulnerability of structures with shallow foundations to erosion and scour at the base.
The trip offered an intensive educational experience, providing students with a broad insight into structural engineering, with a particular focus on bridges, highlighting the diversity of design solutions and the related construction and technological challenges.