Bridge in Genoa Nears Completion

John Hill

30. April 2020

Photo via www.commissario.ricostruzione.genova.it

The last piece of steel decking for the replacement of the Morandi Bridge, portions of which collapsed in August 2018 killing 43 people, was recently hoisted into place during a ceremonial inauguration.

The construction milestone and ceremony on Tuesday, April 28, are very good news for Italy, the European country hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and one where public works projects, as put by The New York Times, "are not known for efficiency, even under the best of circumstances."

The hoisting of the last 44-meter-long piece of the bridge designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop actually would have happened sooner, but construction work halted in March as the country went into quarantine to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus. The steel bridge will be topped by concrete and asphalt and then open to cars in July — about one year after construction commenced.

Piano, born in Genoa and based in the coastal city, was selected to for the €200 million bridge in late 2018, providing the design free of charge. He is quoted as saying the bridge, with an underside reminiscent of the hull of a ship, "will last for a thousand years." Salini Impregilo is building the new bridge in a joint venture with Fincantieri Infrastructure.