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The Accademia bridge was built during the Austrian dominium (1848-1866) as well the Scalzi bridge. Until then the only bridge spanning over the grand canal was the Rialto one.Many project were proposed, amongst them...

...also a tunnel, its purpose was not to trouble the passage of the boats (those times they had threes and sails) the final decision was to utilize the Alfred Neville Project, an Austrian engineer who projected also many suspended iron bridges. His idea was to build a single span more than 50 meters wide.
Works ended in 1854, the 20th November , and it was named the charity bridge Ponte della Carità, name was taken from the homonymous institute there nearby “The Charity”.

It was a toll bridge !Neville projected also the train station bridge, both operas were disputed by the population because considered too industrial and not in harmony with Venice architecture.
Few years later the bridge showed signs of  subsiding due to mistake on the foundation project. During the fascist regime the bridge was rebuilt quite fast, it was a wooden bridge instead of the iron one, the built takes only 37 days.
This last project ended in 1933, was designed by Eugenio Miozzi and supposed to be temporary until a new one made in stone, lastly the decision to keep it in wood because of its sturdiness and reliability.

The wood needed lots of cares during the years, it was reinforced wit iron barrel to reinforce the whole structure (1986).
In 2009 the Venice government announced a banishment to rebuilt the main structure in iron, utilizing different materials for the steps.
This decision has been taken to keep the cost of maintaining required for the wood.