Construction of the new bridge in Genoa becomes a symbol of recovery in Italy
The last stretch of Genoa's new bridge, built in record time to replace the viaduct that collapsed in 2018 and killed 43 people, was put in place on Tuesday (28), as Italy battles the coronavirus pandemic.
A symbol of the country's recovery capacity, the construction of the new bridge ended in full confinement due to the virus, which killed almost 27 thousand people.
“Today we heal a wound. Italy demonstrates that it knows how to overcome tragedies,” said Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who paid tribute to those killed in Genoa.
“We will not forget. This tragedy must not be repeated,” she added.
“We have demonstrated that it is possible to carry out quality works in record time and in complete safety,” said Pietro Salini, director of the company Salini Impregilo, the construction company responsible for the new bridge in partnership with the Italian public shipping group Fincantieri.
“We are putting in the last 40 meters. We are all aware of the symbolic weight represented by this new viaduct that closes a wound in Genoa”, stated the influential newspaper “Il Corriere della Sera”, in the editorial.
The last section of the viaduct, approximately 1 kilometer long, which connects the city, was placed this Tuesday.
Opening scheduled for the end of July
The bridge still needs to be paved and solar panels will be installed. It also needs to pass resistance tests.
“We calculate that, at the end of July, the first vehicles should cross the bridge,” said Pietro Salini.
On August 14, 2018, the Morandi bridge, one of the main axes for trade with France, as well as for tourist travel, collapsed and buried dozens of vehicles. 43 people died, including four children.
Opened in 1967, the bridge had serious structural problems for a long time, which meant expensive maintenance work.
The tragedy highlighted the terrible state of various infrastructures in Italy, left the city in mourning and deprived the country of a strategic route.
The new bridge was designed by the famous architect Renzo Piano, born in Genoa, author of the Pompidou Center and the new Palace of Justice in Paris, as well as The Shard Tower in London.
Piano created a 1.067 meter long, white and aerodynamic structure, inspired by the maritime history of the location.
The bridge will be shaped like a ship's hull and will be illuminated by 43 lights shaped like boat sails, in honor of the victims.
In parallel, the legal battle continues over the tragedy, caused, according to the victims' families, by the negligence of the company in charge of maintenance – a subsidiary of the Atlantia group, owned by the Benetton family, the largest motorway concessionaire in Italy.
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