Genoa harbour crossing

The city and the port of Genoa have evolved over the centuries almost as two separate competing entities. The city, with its rich historical heritage of palaces and churches, clings to the mountainside overlooking the historic harbour basin. The port has now expanded to become one of the largest and most commercially active terminals for the import and export of goods for central and southern Europe. Genoa's economic success, built on a rich history of mercantile tradition, continues to grow and expand. In the City Centre traffic also continues to expand to the point where the existing infrastructure can no longer cope. The long elevated viaduct built around the historic harbour in the 1960's carries a 2 tonne weight limit and it is seen as an aesthetic aberration that severs the link between the medieval town and its harbour. The paper describes the solutions considered for solving Genoa's traffic problems.