Ponte Morandi | |
---|---|
Coordinates | 44°25′33″N 08°53′20″E / 44.42583°N 8.88889°E |
Carried | Four lanes of roadway |
Crossed | |
Locale | Genoa, Liguria, Italy |
Official name | Viadotto Polcevera |
Characteristics | |
Design | Cable-stayed bridge |
Total length | 1,182 metres (3,878 ft) |
Height | Piers 90.5 metres (297 ft), Road Deck 45 metres (148 ft) |
Longest span | 210 metres (690 ft) |
Clearance above | 40 metres (130 ft) |
History | |
Designer | Riccardo Morandi |
Construction start | 1963 |
Construction end | 1967 |
Opened | 4 September 1967 |
Collapsed | 14 August 2018 |
Destroyed | 28 June 2019 |
Location | |
Ponte Morandi (English: Morandi Bridge), officially Viadotto Polcevera (English: Polcevera Viaduct),[1] 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.[2]
On 14 August 2018, a 210-metre (690 ft) section of the viaduct collapsed during a rainstorm, killing forty-three people. The collapse led to a year-long state of emergency in the Liguria region, extensive analysis of the structural failure,[3] 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.[4]
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.'