In the middle of the 19th century, it was necessary to build a bridge to serve the area that had been served by the Ponte Rotto in different moments. The 155 meters long and 19 meters wide bridge links Lungotevere dei Pierleoni to Lungotevere Alberteschi. Near the left bridgehead it is still working the Cloaca Maxima, the sewage system of Roman times that started in the Suburra district. 

The bridge was built by Vescovalli in 1886, in collaboration with a Belgian company specialized in iron bridges. In fact, four piers covered by travertine support metallic beams. This bridge is famous for an old (and disused) Roman custom: the "partita a rocci" or "sassaiola" (stone-fight). Stone-fights were small wars between opposed districts and Ponte Palatino had been chosen for the challenge between the inhabitants of Trastevere and those of Testaccio.