No specific historical records
referring to the bridge have been found although it appears to be present on
the oldest site plans available at the Records and Archives Office dating to
1916. The design of the bridge is functional but it contains elements of
decoration reminiscent of a simplification of the Art Nouveau decor prevalent
in Sliema architecture built in the late 19th to the early 20th
century. The surrounding houses also pertain to a simplified Art-Nouveau style
which reinforces the notion that the area was constructed in the same period of
the bridge. The bridge is composed on one single segmental vault forming part
of Triq il-Kullegg l-Antik and crossing Triq Manwel Dimech and rising two
floors above the lower street level. Externally it is built entirely of
globigerina limestone. The vault appears from the outside to be constructed of
a single layer of a large voussiours laid out perpendicularly to the span. The
voussiours used are rather large and have a narrow decorative fascia running
along their top edge on each side of the bridge. The bridge is buttressed
against the side walls enclosing Triq Manwel Dimech, which serve as an
abutment. The parapet wall is edged with inset frames carved in the stone
courses. A string course lies below the parapet wall while it is topped with
capstones.
The facades of the bridge were in
a relatively good state but some damaged stone could be noted probably due to
exposure to weathering conditions and pollution. There are visible concrete
renders which need to be inspected from closer vicinity so as to understand
their depth. A complete documentation of the bridge has been carried out.
Scaled drawings were drawn up from rectified photography and levels
established. This was done to ascertain a proper method of restoration. All
superfluous metal fixtures and wiring will be carefully removed and the stone
surface will then be superficially cleaned. Cement based pointing will be
carefully removed and new pointing applied. Poulticing will be applied to areas
of persistent black crust. Stone replacement will be done only where necessary
using stones that have the same dimensions and configuration as the stones
being replaced. Finally a velatura consisting of a lime-based pigmented wash
will be applied to the restored stonework to ensure overall visual uniformity.