New Venice bridge could be a real sinker

VENICE, Italy, May 9 (UPI) -- Engineers in Venice are testing a new bridge in an aircraft hangar to make sure its weight won't collapse the banks of the Grand Canal.

The unusual step is likely to delay the bridge, the first new one for the city in 70 years, a correspondent for (Britain's) Independent reported.

"We have taken these precautions on account of the well-known fragility of the canal's banks, bearing in mind that Venice is not built on rock but on the contrary has a tendency to sink," said Mara Rumiz, in charge of public works.

The structure was designed by engineer and architect Santiago Calatrava of Spain, and was originally budgeted to cost $5.5 million. Delays over the years have shot the current cost up past $13 million, and the latest need to test its weight distribution will add another $1 million to the cost, the report said.

Calatrava, 55, designed the 2004 Olympic Stadium in Athens.