Ponte Morandi#Victims and rescue efforts

{{Short description|Road bridge in Genoa, Italy}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}

{{Infobox bridge

| bridge_name = Ponte Morandi

| image = Genova-panorama dal santuario di ns incoronata3.jpg

| caption = Ponte Morandi in 2010, viewed from west

| official_name = Viadotto Polcevera

| carries = Four lanes of roadway

| locale = Genoa, Liguria, Italy

| maint =

| design = Cable-stayed bridge

| mainspan = {{convert|210|m|ft}}

| length = {{convert|1182|m|ft}}

| width =

| height = Piers {{convert|90.5|m|ft}},
Road Deck {{convert|45|m|ft}}

| load =

| clearance = {{convert|40|m|ft}}

| below =

| crosses = {{Plainlist|

}}

| traffic =

| begin = 1963

| complete = 1967

| open = {{Start date|1967|09|04|df=y}}

| collapsed = {{End date|2018|08|14|df=y}}

| destroyed = {{End date|2019|06|28|df=y}}

| replaced_by = Genoa-Saint George Bridge

| designer = Riccardo Morandi

| toll =

| coordinates = {{coord|44|25|33|N|08|53|20|E|region:IT_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

}}

{{lang|it|Ponte Morandi|italics=unset}} (English: Morandi Bridge), officially {{lang|it|Viadotto Polcevera|italics=unset}} (English: Polcevera Viaduct),{{cite news |url=http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-genoa-motorway-bridge-collapse/ |title=Expert reaction to Genoa motorway bridge collapse |publisher=Science Media Centre |date=14 August 2018 |access-date=15 October 2018 |quote=Dr Maria Rosaria Marsico, senior lecturer in Structural Engineering at the University of Exeter, said: 'The bridge that collapsed today is part of the Polcevera Creek Viaduct in Genoa, Italy. It was built in a densely crowded urban area which is occupied by two railroad yards, large industrial plants and the Polcevera Creek. The bridge is known as Morandi Bridge from its designer, the engineer Riccardo Morandi.'}} was a road viaduct in Genoa, Liguria, Italy, constructed between 1963 and 1967 along the A10 motorway over the Polcevera River, from which it derived its official name. It connected Genoa's Sampierdarena and Cornigliano districts across the Polcevera Valley. The bridge was widely called "Ponte Morandi" after its structural designer, engineer Riccardo Morandi.{{Cite news|url=https://www.genovatoday.it/cronaca/storia-ponte-morandi-a10.html|title=La storia del Ponte Morandi: un tempo avveniristico, ma non mancavano criticità|work=GenovaToday|access-date=19 August 2018}}

On 14 August 2018, a {{convert|210|m|ft|adj=on}} section of the viaduct collapsed during a rainstorm, resulting in the deaths of 43 people. The collapse led to a year-long state of emergency in the Liguria region, extensive analysis of the structural failure,{{cite web|url=https://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2018/08/18/news/crollo_genova_trovati_i_corpi_di_tre_dei_dispersi-204360358/?ref=RHPPLF-BH-I0-C8-P1-S1.8-T2|title=Crollo Genova, trovato l'ultimo disperso sotto le macerie: è l'operaio Mirko. Muore uno dei feriti, le vittime totali sono 43|website=la Repubblica|access-date=21 August 2018|date=18 August 2018}} and widely varying assignment of responsibility.

The remains of the original bridge were demolished in June 2019. The replacement bridge, the Genoa-Saint George Bridge was inaugurated a year later.{{Cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20200803-italy-inaugurates-new-genoa-bridge-two-years-after-deadly-collapse|title=Italy inaugurates new Genoa bridge two years after deadly collapse|date=3 August 2020}}

History

=Design=

Ponte Morandi was designed by civil engineer Riccardo Morandi, from whom its unofficial name was derived. It was a cable-stayed bridge characterised by a prestressed concrete structure for the piers, pylons and deck,{{cite web|url=https://www.pci.org/PCI_Docs/Publications/PCI%20Journal/1973/January-1973/Cable-Stayed%20Bridges%20of%20Prestressed%20Concrete.pdf |title=Cable stayed bridges |year=1973 |website=pci.org}} very few stays, as few as two per span, and a hybrid system for the stays constructed from steel cables with prestressed concrete shells poured on.{{Cite web|url=https://webapi.ingenio-web.it/immagini/file/byname?name=riccardo-morandi-durabilita-ponte-pp.pdf|title=The long term behaviour of viaducts subjected to heavy traffic and situated in an aggressive environment: the viaduct on the Polcevera in Genoa|last=Morandi|first=Riccardo|year=1979|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180818052325/https://webapi.ingenio-web.it/immagini/file/byname?name=riccardo-morandi-durabilita-ponte-pp.pdf|archive-date=18 August 2018|url-status=dead}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rwvNBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA50|title=Bridge Maintenance, Safety, Management and Lifecycle Optimization: Proceedings of the Fifth International IABMAS Conference, Philadelphia, USA, 11–15 July 2010|first1=Dan|last1=Frangopol|first2=Richard|last2=Sause|first3=Chad|last3=Kusko|date=7 July 2010|publisher=CRC Press|via=Google Books|isbn=9780415891370}} The concrete was prestressed only to {{convert|10|MPa|abbr=on|lk=in}},{{Citation needed|date=November 2018|reason=10 MPa is about stays prestressed concrete only, or all (the other?) prestressed concrete element in the bridge? Where is the exactly source about this? Please check and reply on the Talk page of this Article on the related topic. Thank you.}} making it susceptible to cracks, water intrusion, and corrosion of the internal steel.{{Cite journal|last=Morandi|first=Ricardo|date=30 May 1968|title=Viaducto sobre el Polcevera, en Génova, Italia|journal=Informes de la Construcción|language=es|volume=21|issue=200|pages=57–88|doi=10.3989/ic.1968.v21.i200.3892|issn=1988-3234|doi-access=free}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rwvNBQAAQBAJ&q=polcevera+viaduct&pg=PA52|title=Bridge Maintenance, Safety, Management and Life-Cycle Optimization: Proceedings of the Fifth International IABMAS Conference, Philadelphia, US, 11–15 July 2010|last1=Frangopol|first1=Dan|last2=Sause|first2=Richard|last3=Kusko|first3=Chad|date=7 July 2010|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=9780415891370|language=en}}{{cite web|url=http://www.retrofutur.org/retrofutur/app/main?DOCID=1000116030|title=Understanding Morandi - Part 1 - The Post-Stressed Conrete Cable Stays|website=retrofutur.org|access-date=18 August 2018}} The bridge was similar to Morandi's earlier 1957 design for the General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge in VenezuelaGeneral Rafael Urdaneta Bridge is located at the outlet of Lake Maracaibo in western Venezuela. It partially collapsed in 1964 when the tanker SS Esso Maracaibo – out of control due to a major electrical failure onboard – collided with two piers of the unstayed section of the bridge. except for the stays, which on the Venezuelan bridge are not covered with prestressed concrete.

=Construction=

File:Saragat all'inaugurazione del Viadotto Polcevera 1967.png at the inauguration, on 4 September 1967]]

The viaduct was built between 1963 and 1967 by the Società Italiana per Condotte d'Acqua, costing 3.8 billion Italian lire and opened on 4 September 1967. It had a length of {{convert|1182|m}}, a height above the valley of {{convert|45|m}} at road level, and three reinforced concrete pylons reaching {{convert|90|m}} in height; the maximum span was {{convert|210|m}}. It featured diagonal cable stays, with the vertical trestle-like supports made up of sets of Vs, one set carrying the roadway deck, while the other pair of inverted Vs supported the top ends of two pairs of diagonal stay cables.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}

The viaduct was officially opened on 4 September 1967 in the presence of Italian President Giuseppe Saragat.{{cite news |url=https://www.corriere.it/cronache/18_agosto_14/genova-crollo-ponte-morandi-era-stato-inaugurato-51-anni-fa-397dd6ce-9fb0-11e8-9437-bcf7bbd7366b.shtml |title=Genova: crollo del ponte Morandi. Era stato inaugurato 51 anni fa|trans-title=Genoa: collapse of the Morandi bridge. It was officially opened 51 years ago |work=Corriere della Sera |date=14 August 2018 |access-date=14 August 2018|language=it}}

= Maintenance and strengthening =

The bridge had been subject to continual restoration work from the 1970s due to an incorrect initial assessment of the effects of creep of the concrete.{{cite web|url=https://www.giornalettismo.com/archives/2672274/ponte-morandi-lavori-sicurezza |title=Il ponte Morandi era definito un 'viadotto malato' e sempre soggetto a lavori di manutenzione|trans-title=The Morandi Bridge was termed a 'sick' Viaduct and always subject to maintenance work|language=it|author=Enzo Boldi |editor=Giornalettismo|date=14 August 2018|access-date=14 August 2018}} This resulted in excessive deferred displacement of the vehicle deck so that it was neither level nor flat; at the worst points, it undulated in all three dimensions. Only after continual measurement, redesign, and associated structural work was the vehicle deck considered acceptable, approaching horizontal by the mid-1980s.{{cite news |last1=Harlan |first1=Chico |title='Should not happen': Italian officials look for answers after dozens dead in bridge collapse |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/08/14/immense-tragedy-feared-as-highway-bridge-collapses-over-italian-city/ |access-date=15 August 2018 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=15 August 2018 }}

In a 1979 report, Morandi himself said "I think [sic] that sooner or later, maybe in a few years, it will be necessary to resort to a treatment consisting of the removal of all traces of rust on the exposure of the reinforcements, to fill the patches, with epoxidic style resins, and finally to cover everything up with elastomers of very high chemical resistance".

In the 1990s, the tendons (the steel wires, cables, and threaded bars, designed to produce the bridge's prestressed concrete) on pillar 11 appeared to be most damaged. About 30% of the tendons had corroded away. The load of the bridge was {{Convert|7000|kg||abbr=on}} per tendon, whereas the tendons were originally capable of carrying {{Convert|15000|kg||abbr=on}}.{{citation needed|reason=wrong interpretation of the source|date=October 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.ingenio-web.it/20939-ing-camomilla-come-e-perche-intervenimmo-sugli-stralli-della-pila-11-del-ponte-morandi-nel-1992|title=Ing. Camomilla: come e perché intervenimmo senza demolirlo sugli stralli della pila 11 del Ponte Morandi nel 1992|website=ingenio-web.it|date=21 August 2018 |language=it|access-date=3 October 2018}} A single truck can weigh as much as {{Convert|44000|kg||abbr=on}}.{{Cite news|url=http://espresso.repubblica.it/attualita/2018/09/21/news/ponte-morandi-spezioni-stralli-ministero-approvo-progetto-incompleto-1.327151|title=Ponte Morandi, ispezioni su stralli erano fallite: Ministero ha approvato un progetto incompleto|date=21 September 2018|work=l'Espresso|access-date=3 October 2018|language=it-IT}} As of the collapse of the bridge, only pillar 11 had been internally inspected in the 1990s, showing severed and oxidized strands.{{Cite news|url=http://www.lastampa.it/2018/08/17/esteri/ignored-university-reports-about-morandi-bridge-deformed-pylons-and-oxidized-cables-4WzupknoVJEH655DDwXn3O/pagina.html|title=Ignored university reports about Morandi bridge: "Deformed pylons and oxidized cables"|work=La Stampa|access-date=18 August 2018|language=it-IT}} From 1990 onward, the easternmost pillar 11 had its stays strengthened by flanking them with external steel cables.{{cite web|url=http://www.ingegneri.info/news/infrastrutture-e-trasporti/ponte-morandi-genova-analisi-infrastrutturale/|title=Ponte Morandi a Genova, una tragedia annunciata?|author=Sara Frumento|date=14 August 2018|website=Ingegneri.info|language=it|trans-title=Morandi Bridge in Genoa, a tragedy foretold?|access-date=14 August 2018|archive-date=14 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814155253/http://www.ingegneri.info/news/infrastrutture-e-trasporti/ponte-morandi-genova-analisi-infrastrutturale/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.e-periodica.ch/cntmng?pid=bse-re-003:1995:73/1:73/2::629|title=Repair of the stay cables of the Polcevera Viaduct in Genova, Italy|last=Camomilla, Gabriele / Pisani, Francesco / Martinez y Cabrera, F.}} Pillar 10 had the stays at the top strengthened with steel sheathing in the 1990s.{{cite web|url=http://www.retrofutur.org/retrofutur/app/main?DOCID=1000115890&blobIndex=image_med1|title=Detail view – Part of reinforced pylon number 10. The steel sheathing has been added 1993 and later. Pylon 9 did not receive this upgrade.|website=retrofutur.org|access-date=18 August 2018}} Following the collapse, many questions have been raised about the stays. Morandi's similarIn the Venezuelan bridge the stays was not covered with prestressed concrete bridge in Venezuela suffered one or more stay cable failures in 1979/1980, with collapse imminent.{{Cite news|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2018/0816/Italy-bridge-collapse-serves-as-a-cautionary-tale-on-older-bridges|title=Italy bridge collapse serves as a cautionary tale on older bridges|date=16 August 2018|work=The Christian Science Monitor|access-date=18 August 2018|issn=0882-7729}}{{Cite journal|first=Juan|last=Otaola|year=1982|title=Replacing Corroded Cables on a Cable-Stayed Bridge|url=http://cedb.asce.org/CEDBsearch/record.jsp?dockey=0034749|journal= Civil Engineering |volume=52|issue=9|pages=78–80}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.eldiario.es/internacional/Maracaibo-puente-Morandi-siniestrado_0_803520161.html|title=Maracaibo, 1964: El otro puente de Morandi siniestrado|work=eldiario.es|access-date=18 August 2018|language=es}}{{cite journal|title=Investigation of Corrosion Protection Systems for Bridge Stay Cables| year=1995 |citeseerx = 10.1.1.608.1322}}{{cite journal |id={{ProQuest|228414552}} |last1=Manzanarez |first1=Rafael |last2=Seim |first2=Charles |last3=Smith |first3=Dennis |title=Beyond Engineering: The Politics of Maracaibo |journal=Civil Engineering |volume=61 |issue=3 |date=March 1991 |pages=60 }}

The minister of infrastructures and transport in charge until 1 June 2018, Graziano Delrio, was informed multiple times in the Italian parliament during 2016 that the Morandi bridge needed maintenance.{{Cite web|url=http://www.ilgiornale.it/news/cronache/interrogazioni-senato-rossi-delrio-ponte-rischio-i-giunti-1565323.html|title=Le interrogazioni in Senato di Rossi a Delrio: "Ponte a rischio, i giunti cedono"|last=Vigne|first=Aurora|website=ilGiornale.it|date=15 August 2018|language=it}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.liberoquotidiano.it/news/politica/13367588/ponte-morandi-graziano-delrio-strazio-ex-ministro-mai-avvisato.html|title=Delrio, la cupa confessione. Dopo la strage, lo strazio: "Quando ero ministro..."|date=2018-08-17|website=www.liberoquotidiano.it}}

In 2017, a confidential university report in Genoa noted severe disparities in the behaviour of the stays of the pillar 9, which would collapse. The minutes of a February 2018 government meeting report that resistance and reflectometry measurements indicated an "average" reduction of the cross-section of the tendons of 10 to 20%.{{Cite news|url=http://espresso.repubblica.it/inchieste/2018/08/19/news/genova-tiranti-su-ponte-morandi-ridotti-del-20-per-cento-ministero-e-autostrade-sapevano-1.326085?ref=HEF_RULLO|title=Crollo Ponte Genova, tiranti ridotti del venti per cento: Ministero e Autostrade sapevano|date=19 August 2018|work=l'Espresso|access-date=20 August 2018|language=it-IT}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/06/world/europe/genoa-italy-bridge.html|title=Genoa Bridge Collapse: The Road to Tragedy|last1=Glanz|first1=James|last2=Pianigiani|first2=Gaia|last3=White|first3=Jeremy|last4=Patanjali|first4=Karthik|newspaper=The New York Times|date=6 September 2018|access-date=8 September 2018}} A crack in the road had appeared at least 14 days before the collapse, near the southeastern stay of the subsequently collapsed pillar 9. The crack may have been an indication that the stay had stretched.{{Citation|last=Vista Agenzia Televisiva Nazionale|title=Ponte Morandi, in un video del 31 luglio una fessura sulla carreggiata lato mare|date=17 August 2018|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_c6vuOtvTw|access-date=18 August 2018}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.ilgiornale.it/news/cronache/genova-avvistata-crepa-sul-ponte-due-giorni-crollo-1565540.html|title=Ecco la crepa su Ponte Morandi due giorni prima del crollo: video|work=Il Giornale|access-date=18 August 2018|language=it}} At no point was a suggestion made to reduce the load on the bridge. Traditionally, bridges were designed for a 50-year lifespan; the bridge failed just under 51 years after its opening.

On 3 May 2018, the Autostrade company had announced a call for tenders for a structural upgrade of the viaduct to the value of €20,159,000, with a deadline of 11 June 2018. The work on the reinforcement of the stays on pillars 9 and 10 would have needed to be finished within five years.{{cite web|url=https://www.stradeeautostrade.it/notizie/2018/autostrade-per-litalia-ristruttura-il-viadotto-del-polcevera-a-genova/ |title=Autostrade per l'Italia ristruttura il viadotto del Polcevera a Genova |trans-title=Autostrade per l'Italia restructures the Polcevera viaduct in Genoa |date=3 May 2018|access-date=14 August 2018 |language=it-IT}}{{Cite news|url=http://genova.repubblica.it/cronaca/2018/08/15/foto/ponte_crollato_ecco_il_bando_per_i_lavori_di_sostituzione_dei_tiranti_ritenuti_la_causa_del_cedimento-204159941/1/?ref=search|title=Ponte crollato, ecco il bando per i lavori di sostituzione dei tiranti ritenuti la causa del cedimento|date=15 August 2018|work=la Repubblica|access-date=18 August 2018|language=it}}

Workers were installing new heavy concrete Jersey barriers on the Ponte Morandi before it collapsed, reducing the already low-compressive prestress on the concrete of the stays and increasing the loads.{{cite news|url=http://genova.repubblica.it/cronaca/2018/08/15/news/genova_crollo_del_ponte_autostradale_nel_mirino_i_cavi_di_cemento_armato-204134246/?refresh_ce|title=Genova, crollo del ponte autostradale, nel mirino i cavi di cemento armato. A maggio bando di gara per sostituirli|date=14 August 2018|newspaper=la Repubblica|access-date=15 August 2018|language=it}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.corriere.it/cronache/18_agosto_18/i-tecnici-autostradedicevano-cittadinici-sono-elementi-disagio-ce4352ea-a26a-11e8-b2f9-d4ce42b355f4.shtml|title=Genova, ponte crollato: "Ci sono elementi di disagio", dicevano i tecnici di Autostrade ai cittadini|first1=Marco|last1=Imarisio|first2=Andrea|last2=Pasqualetto|newspaper=Corriere della Sera|access-date=18 August 2018|language=it-IT}}

== 2017 modal analyses==

In 2017, Carmelo Gentile and Antonello Ruccolo of the Polytechnic University of Milan studied the modal frequencies and deformations of the stays of the bridge. On pillar 9, they could identify only four global modes, and the deformations of two of these identified modes were not fully compliant.{{Cite news|url=https://www.radiopopolare.it/2018/08/sul-ponte-morandi-non-e-stato-fatto-abbastanza-e-troppo-tardi/|title=Sul ponte Morandi non è stato fatto abbastanza|work=Radio Popolare|access-date=19 August 2018|language=it}} Modal frequencies were more than 10% different, specifically on the southern stays.{{Cite news|url=https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/premium/articoli/anomalie-sul-pilone-nove-il-politecnico-aveva-avvertito/|title=Crollo Ponte Morandi, "anomalie sul pilone nove". Il Politecnico aveva avvertito Autostrade a novembre |work=Il Fatto Quotidiano|access-date=19 August 2018|language=it-IT}} In pre-stressed concrete beams, such a difference could represent the entire effect of the non-linear pre-stresses. As little as a 2% shift could represent severe damage.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dipmat.univpm.it/aimeta2009/Atti%20Congresso/MECCANICA_STRUTTURE/Breccolotti_paper192.pdf|title=Natural frequencies of prestressed concrete beams: theoretica prediction and numerical validation|last=Marco Breccolotti, Filippo Ubertini, Ilaria Venanzi}}{{Cite web|url=https://eprints.qut.edu.au/112767/1/Thisara%20Shamane_Pathirage_Thesis.pdf|title=Thesis Pathirage}} The prestress in the Ponte Morandi was characterised as relatively small from the start. In contrast, with bare tendons, which are relatively under-constrained like the strings in a piano, the effect of prestress is dominant in determining the resonant frequency. Other than prestress, changes in geometry, such as corrosion in the tendons, could impact the resonant frequency. The effects would be reduced by the composite nature of the stays when observing global modes. Gentile had performed similar modal analyses on pillar 11 in the 1990s.{{Cite journal|last1=Gentile|first1=C.|last2=Cabrera|first2=F. Martinez Y|date=1 January 1997|journal=Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics|volume=26|issue=1|pages=41–59|doi=10.1002/(sici)1096-9845(199701)26:1<41::aid-eqe622>3.0.co;2-u|issn=1096-9845|title=Dynamic Investigation of a Repaired Cable-Stayed Bridge}} Other related methods were applied on the stays of Ponte Morandi in the 1990s, such as reflectometry, which was able to measure the tension, but not strength of the tendons.{{Cite journal|last=Salawu|first=O.S.|year=1997|title=Detection of structural damage through changes in frequency: a review|journal=Engineering Structures|volume=19|issue=9|pages=718–723|doi=10.1016/s0141-0296(96)00149-6|bibcode=1997EngSt..19..718S |issn=0141-0296}}{{Cite book|first1=G|last1=Camomilla|first2=M|last2=Donferri|first3=A|last3=Gennari Santori|first4=L|last4=Materazzi|year=1993|title=Reflectometric and dynamic measurements on the stays of the Polcevera viaduct in Genoa (Italy)|publisher=Thomas Telford |url=https://trid.trb.org/view/382957|isbn=9780727719263}}

=Replacement proposals=

By the mid-2000s, the A10 route through Genoa and over the bridge had become highly congested. The city council requested proposals for improvement of traffic flow through Genoa, with the Autostrade company in 2009 proposing the "Gronda di Ponente" project to improve flow, by moving traffic to a newly built Autostrada interchange system located to the north of the city. As part of the initial study and report, the Autostrade company measured that the bridge carried 25.5 million transits a year, with traffic having quadrupled in the previous 30 years and "destined to grow, even in the absence of intervention, by a further 30% in the next 30 years".

The study highlighted how the traffic volume, with daily queues at peak hours joining the Autostrada Serravalle, produced "an intense degradation of the bridge structure subjected to considerable stress", with the need for continuous maintenance.{{cite web|url=http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/notizie/2018-08-14/genova-storia-ponte-morandi-polemiche-crollo-125715.shtml?uuid=AEZna1aF|title=Genova, storia del ponte Morandi dalle polemiche al crollo|date=14 August 2018 |access-date=15 August 2018}} The study showed that, in the option for improving what was termed as the "low gutter", it would be more economical to replace the bridge with a new one north of its current location, and then to demolish the existing bridge.{{cite web|url=https://www.nextquotidiano.it/ponte-morandi-manutenzione/ |author=Alessandro D'Amato |title=La mancata manutenzione ha causato il crollo del ponte Morandi a Genova? |language=it|publisher=NeXt|date=14 August 2018}}{{failed verification|date=August 2018}}

=Collapse=

{{Main|2018 Ponte Morandi collapse}}

On 14 August 2018, around 11:36 local time (09:36 UTC), during a torrential rainstorm, the span around pillar 9 of the Ponte Morandi collapsed and the vehicles on it fell into the Polcevera river.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-45183624|title=Italy bridge: Dozens feared dead in Genoa as motorway collapses |work=BBC News|date= 14 August 2018 |access-date=14 August 2018}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.tgcom24.mediaset.it/cronaca/liguria/crollo-ponte-morandi-una-testimone-tiranti-spezzati-insieme_3158532-201802a.shtml|title=Crollo ponte Morandi, una testimone: tiranti spezzati insieme |work=Tgcom24|access-date=18 August 2018}} Forty-three people were confirmed dead and 16 injured.{{Cite news |url= http://www.repubblica.it/cronaca/2018/08/15/foto/genova_crolla_il_ponte_morandi_le_vittime-204165340/1/ |title=Genova, crollo ponte Morandi: le vittime |date=15 August 2018 |work=La Repubblica |access-date=15 August 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.adnkronos.com/fatti/cronaca/2018/08/18/auto-sotto-macerie-del-ponte-trovate-altre-vittime_knFsFaQjR1RH2JohWTHroJ.html|title=Genova, si aggrava bilancio: 43 morti|website=adnkronos.com|date=18 August 2018|access-date=15 December 2020 }} The disaster caused a major political controversy about the poor state of infrastructure in Italy and raised wider questions about the condition of bridges across Europe.{{cite web |title=Dieci i ponti crollati in 5 anni: in calo la manutenzione e gli investimenti |date=14 August 2018 |work=Corriere della Sera |url=https://www.corriere.it/cronache/18_agosto_14/dieci-ponti-crollati-5-anni-in-calo-investimenti-manutenzione-8bd5fb56-9fb8-11e8-9437-bcf7bbd7366b.shtml?refresh_ce-cp|access-date=15 August 2018}} It was later decided that the bridge would not be repaired, but demolished. Demolition began in February 2019{{cite web|url=https://www.domusweb.it/en/news/2018/12/17/demolition-of-morandi-bridge-begins-in-genoa.html|title=Demolition of Genoa's Ponte Morandi is underway|website=domusweb.it|date=14 November 2018 |access-date=16 March 2019}} and was completed on 28 June 2019.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-48797883/morandi-bridge-towers-demolished-in-genoa |title=Morandi bridge towers demolished in Genoa |work=BBC News |date=28 June 2019 |access-date=28 June 2019}}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-europe-48797883/morandi-bridge-towers-demolished-in-genoa |title=Morandi bridge towers demolished in Genoa |work=BBC News |date=28 June 2019 |access-date=28 June 2019}} Construction on the replacement began on 25 June 2019, and it was completed in the spring of 2020. The Genoa-Saint George Bridge was inaugurated on 3 August 2020.{{Cite news|last=Lowen|first=Mark|date=2020-08-03|title=Genoa readies new bridge two years after tragedy|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53628580|access-date=2020-08-03}}

File:Ponte Morandi collapse.jpg

References

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