ARCUS Atlas record
Ponte di Pietratagliata
Total collapse of the bridge over the Fella river connecting the fraction of Pietratagliata to the SS13 Pontebbana national road near Pontebba (Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia) on 29 August 2003, caused by the catastrophic flash flood that struck the Val Canale and Canal del Ferro area, with 400mm falling in a few hours — one of the most intense precipitation events ever recorded in the eastern Italian Alps. The collapse isolated the fraction of Pietratagliata for days. The broader event caused 2 deaths (Gerti Schnabl in Ugovizza, Bruno Urli in Malborghetto) and mobilised 2,687 civil protection volunteers. Reconstruction of the bridge and the SS13 access road required 6 years and €13.4 million. No fatalities directly attributed to this specific collapse. Database ponti fluviali danneggiati di D'Angelo, Ballio & Ravazzani (2025), IJDRR 'Geomorphologic risk factors for river bridges', suppl. S3, record P047 (accuratezza diagnosi dec=1): processo = carico idraulico sulla struttura; componenti danneggiate = impalcato; evidenza di sormonto = sì.
- ARCUS ID
- IT03.08.01
- Date
- 2003-08-29
- Municipality
- Pontebba
- Province
- Udine
- Region
- Friuli-Venezia Giulia
- Coordinates
- 46.4823, 13.3001 · exact location
- Crossing
- Fella river
- Use
- National
- Severity
- TC
- Structural type
- Beam bridge
- Material
- Reinforced concrete
- Cause category
- Natural
- Specific cause
- Hydraulic
- Failure trigger
- Flood
- Failure process
- Overtopping / hydrodynamic action
- Component involved
- Deck / superstructure
- Cause evidence
- Documented
- Source confidence
- High
- Victims
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
Documentary sources (3)
- L'alluvione, dieci anni dopo – ponte Pietratagliata e il Fella che portò via tutto (News · Il Friuli · 2014-08-29)
- Cerimonia 10 anni alluvione Valcanale-Canal del Ferro 29 agosto 2003 (Official/Technical · Protezione Civile · 2014-08-29)
- L'alluvione, dieci anni dopo – ponte Fella Pietratagliata crollato agosto 2003 (News · Messaggero Veneto · 2014-08-29)