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Court OKs dismantling accessibility system on Venice bridge

FILE - In this file photo dated Thursday, March 14, 2019, Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro speaks to foreign media about the pressures the city is facing from tourism and rising seas, during a media conference in Rome, Italy. Brugnaro was notified on Saturday April 6, 2019, that Italy's Court of Audit has authorized the city of Venice to dismantle a cable car system built on the Calatrava bridge, which cost about two million euros and has been barely used in the past six years. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini, FILE) The Associated Press

Posted April 07, 2019 7:00 am

The Associated Press

ROME (AP) - An Italian court has authorized the city of Venice to remove tracks and cars that were added to a Grand Canal bridge to make it more accessible for people with disabilities but hardly been used due to system flaws.

The mobility system was added to the Ponte della Constituzione (Constitution Bridge) at a cost of about 2 million euros (about $2.3 million) and hasn't worked well since it started running in 2013.

Visitors complained it was slow and the cars were unbearably hot during the summer.

A glitch trapped two Americans inside a car in May 2015.

The Court of Audit cited ongoing infrastructure costs in its decision sanctioning the system's removal. It notified Venice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro on Saturday.

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