Pons Aemilius

The Ponte Emilio, or Ponte Rotto, was a bridge in the Vaticano District of Rome that connected Trastevere to the Forum Boarium until it was party destroyed and deemed too expensive to fix in 1598.

Construction
Preceded by a wooden version, it was rebuilt in stone in the 2nd century BC. It once spanned the Tiber, but a single arch in mid-river is all that remains today, lending the bridge its name Ponte rotto ("Broken bridge"). The oldest piers of the bridge were likely laid when the Via Aurelia was constructed in the mid-3rd century BC. Initially constructed in 179 BC with stone piers and a wooden superstructure, the bridge was fitted in 142 BC with six wholly stone arches. In 12 BC, Augustus completely restored the bridge with a tuff and concrete core.

Damages
Damaged and repaired on several occasions, the bridge was defunct by 1598, when its eastern half was carried away in a flood. The remaining half was demolished in the 1880s, leaving behind only one arch.

Database entry
''A single arch mid-river is all that now remains of the oldest Roman bridge in the city. It remained functional until 1598, when a flood swept away the eastern arch and city officials deemed it too expensive to fix, as all money was heading into Pope Clement VIII's execution fund.''