Until the iron bridge appeared at the Accademia in 1854, the Rialto was the only bridge over the Grand Canal. The iron bridge was to allow the Austrian military governor to move troops quickly. The iron version of the Ponte dell'Accademia gave way to a wooden bridge built by Eugenio Miozzi in 1932. It was meant to be a temporary structure but a more permanent steel structure has not replaced it. Instead, a wooden replica was made in 1986.
