ABSTRACT
The San Michele bridge, opened to traffic in 1889 and taken over by Ferrovie dello Stato in 1894, is a double-deck bridge supported by a grand metal trussed arch. The lower deck serves the Seregno-Bergamo railway line, the upper one the provincial road SP54/166 connecting Paderno d’Adda and Calusco.
In 2014, after 130 years of service, Rete Ferroviaria Italiana S.p.A. (a subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato) promoted extensive inspections to acquire a more profound knowledge of the condition of the structure and its reliability. This campaign ascertained that the bridge was still in a decent state but presented several concerning issues. In this paper, the difficult decision to save the bridge or decommission it will be analysed in all its implications.
