43 dead: Genoa bridge collapse: process begins

The torrential rain on that midsummer day four years ago was the final impetus that brought down the Morandi Bridge, officially the Polcevera Viaduct. The road collapsed, cars and trucks fell down, some on the houses below. 43 people died.

Now high-ranking managers of the autobahn operator Autostrade per l’Italia (ASPI) have to answer for themselves in the Ligurian capital. The company operates almost half of the Italian motorway network. Since the collapse, ASPI has been accused of failing to properly maintain the bridge.

At the time, ASPI was controlled by the Benetton family’s publicly traded Atlantia holding company. The family has since sold its stake to the state for €8 billion, putting ASPI under state control. Former Atlantia boss Giovanni Castelluci is now in the dock.

Photo series with 11 pictures

APA / AFP / Filippo Monteforte

During a severe storm in 2018, the 40 meter high Polcevera Viaduct, also known as the Morandi Bridge, collapsed over a length of around 100 meters

Bridge in Genoa

Archyde.com / Stefano Rellandini

The bridge was part of the A10 motorway, an important link to southern France, Piedmont and Lombardy

Collapsed bridge in Genoa

Archyde.com / Stefano Rellandini

Among the 43 fatalities were occupants of vehicles that were driving over the bridge at the time and employees of the municipal waste disposal company AMIU located below

Collapsed bridge in Genoa

Archyde.com / Stefano Rellandini

The truck, which stood at the demolition edge for months following the collapse, became a symbol of the accident. The Polcevera Viaduct was inaugurated in 1967, led to the west of Genoa, among other things, over railway tracks and an industrial area and close to built-up areas. The viaduct had a total length of 1,182 meters. At the time of the tragedy, construction work was underway.

Collapsed bridge in Genoa

Archyde.com / Massimo Pinca

After the accident there were numerous rumours, including mafia machinations. After the accident, experts declared that the collapse was foreseeable due to the many structural defects in the prestressed concrete bridge.

Rescue workers following bridge collapse in Genoa

Archyde.com / Stefano Rellandini

For days, the emergency services searched under the concrete rubble for possible survivors

Collapsed bridge in Genoa

Archyde.com / Stefano Rellandini

The catastrophe sparked the debate regarding the sometimes dilapidated infrastructure. The operating company ASPI was nationalized as a result

Collapsed bridge in Genoa

Archyde.com / Stefano Rellandini

According to prosecutors, damage to the bridge was known long before the accident

Collapsed bridge in Genoa

Stefano Rellandini

Now 59 people have to answer in court

Blasting on the bridge

Archyde.com / Massimo Pinca

The remains of the Morandi Bridge were blown up

New San Giorgio Bridge in Genoa

APA/AFP/Andreas Solaro

Instead of it now stands the Ponte San Giorgio designed by Renzo Piano

Lots of serious allegations

Some of the other defendants are also high-ranking managers of the motorway operator, experts and higher-ranking officials at the Ministry of Transport in Rome. The allegations are of negligence, obstruction of road safety, forgery and willful omission of safety precautions.

Giovanni Castellucci

APA/AFP/Piero Cruciatti

Giovanni Castellucci

According to Genoa prosecutors, most of the suspects expected the bridge, built in the 1960s, to collapse and still did nothing. It was regarding higher dividends for shareholders, so the accusation. Damage to the structure is said to have been known long before the collapse.

“They died because of a bridge that was never maintained to make more profit,” Giorgio Robbiano, who lost his brother, sister-in-law and nephew in the bridge collapse, told AFP news agency. The family was on their way to a birthday party when they crashed their car. The operators would have to be held accountable, according to Robbiano: “I want them to be responsible for their actions.”

Egle Possetti also lost three family members. Now she is spokeswoman for the relatives. “We hope that the process will move forward quickly and that the truth regarding the negligence in the maintenance of the bridge will finally come to light,” said Possetti. But she didn’t expect the process to be quick. “In Italy, processes are lengthy and unfortunately often don’t end well for the victims.” She felt abandoned from day one.

Partial comparison closed

The process is extensive, almost 180 witnesses are invited. A part of it has already been dealt with: In April, an investigating judge accepted the comparison offers from ASPI and its former maintenance unit SPEA. The two companies paid a total of around 30 million euros to avoid a full procedure. The public prosecutor had agreed to the settlement.

New San Giorgio Bridge in Genoa

APA/AFP/Andreas Solaro

Renzo Piano designed the successor bridge, Ponte San Giorgio. It was inaugurated in 2020

Where the viaduct collapsed, a new bridge, the Ponte San Giorgio, designed by star architect Renzo Piano, has been standing since 2020. A park is to be created nearby to commemorate the victims.

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