Passive devices for an italian viaduct

Sicily is a region where seismic events are frequent. The development of the road network is still in progress and several viaducts offer non-minor design problems. For the special case of a bridge in the area of the town of Catania, the mitigation of the seismc vibrations was pursued by visco-elastic devices of a new generation. This contribution illustrates first the bridge features. Then introduces the devices and eventually discusses the policy for designing their locations and the relevant mechanical properties.