Basilicata: The New Face of the Basento River Area and the Musmeci Bridge

The Basento River and the Musmeci Bridge represent two crucial elements of the natural and architectural heritage of Basilicata, particularly in its capital, Potenza. Today, the bridge and the river interact and integrate within a new urban vision that promises to restore environmental prestige to the entire area, which has undergone various transformations over time, from its industrial vocation in the 60s and 70s to its new commercial identity inaugurated in the 90s and still vibrant today.

The Basento River Park, in particular, has been the subject of a project funded by the 2014-2020 Cohesion Fund for an amount of €1,060,485.61, which allowed for the redevelopment of the banks and shores in the Potenza section of the river. Initially, to address the problem of excessive vegetation accumulation, much of the area was cleared. Subsequently, polluting discharges were eliminated, and purification systems were installed near the bridges. Various types of green furnishings were then installed, including Althaea plants, a perennial aromatic herb, and benches made from the wood obtained from the clearing. Finally, thanks to the redevelopment of the river park, the urban area along the Basentana road, one of the most important roads in the region, also benefited from significant environmental improvement. The naturalistic regeneration and the offer of new recreational spaces were designed not only with respect to the specific areas to be redeveloped but also as a link with the surrounding context, rich in commercial and service activities.

In addition to focusing on the integration of green spaces with the urban context, the project also represents an important starting point for the overall redevelopment process of the area where the famous Musmeci Bridge stands. Designed by engineer Sergio Musmeci and completed in 1976, the bridge is a work of engineering and architectural design of international importance, thanks to its innovative arch structure with four spans and its unique form with thin membrane vaults, earning it the status of "cultural asset" by the Ministry of Culture and the Regional Superintendence of Basilicata in 2003. Immediately becoming one of the most emblematic structures of Potenza, the bridge connects the urban core with the Basentana expressway, improving accessibility to the industrial area and facilitating traffic between the two banks of the river.

This is why the Basilicata Region, in continuity with the works to enhance the Basento River area described so far, decided to allocate additional funds amounting to 3 million euros (to which resources allocated in the Agreement for Development and Cohesion signed last March 25 are added) for the conservative restoration and enhancement of the Musmeci Bridge, whose reinforced concrete structures are increasingly deteriorated, both due to the natural action of the elements and suboptimal water drainage. The executive project, developed by the company that won a European design competition, which saw the presentation of 110 technical proposals, was delivered in May 2024, and construction sites are being set up following recent endoscopic surveys and laser-scanner analyses.

The extensive restoration plan, the first in the world carried out on a reinforced concrete bridge listed as a cultural heritage, includes a series of interventions aimed at preserving and enhancing the structure while maintaining its structural integrity and historical value. These operations involve cleaning and consolidating the reinforced concrete surfaces, installing new safety barriers and structural monitoring systems, lifting the deck sections and sealing with new reinforcement and cement mortars to ensure structural stability, and restoration interventions to recover and highlight the beauty of the bridge, emphasizing – even with special night lighting – construction details, such as the marks left by the boards used as concrete formwork, originally crafted by excellent artisans.

Additionally, with the aforementioned aim of better integrating the structure into the recently enhanced environmental context, the bridge will be complemented by interventions in the underlying area to make access to the river park easier, including new pedestrian areas.

In conclusion, the redevelopment works of the Basento River Park and the restoration of the Musmeci Bridge, made possible by cohesion policy funding, represent two complementary projects – one already completed, the other in progress – that share the same goal: to enhance and preserve the natural and architectural heritage of the city of Potenza while simultaneously improving the quality of life for its citizens.