A matter of time
‘Everybody knew’ Italian bridge ‘engineering failure’
The Genoa, Italy, bridge that collapsed Tuesday, killing at least 39 people, including three children, was a disaster waiting to happen, according to engineers who had studied the bridge’s structure.
The collapse didn’t come out of nowhere — in fact, experts had for years issued warnings about its dangers.
The Morandi Bridge “is considered an engineering masterpiece. In reality, it’s an example of a failure of engineering,” said Antonio Brencich, a professor of engineering at the University of Genoa, in a 2016 interview with Primocanale.
The bridge, constructed between 1963 and 1967, began needing repairs less than 40 years after it had been built, incurring maintenance costs that exceeded the costs of reconstruction, according to Brencich.
Others weighed in, too — saying they feared the bridge was unsafe. “Everyone knew,” according to Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
A 2011 report by highway company Autostrade per l’Italia concluded that the bridge had suffered “intense decay.”
“Queues of cars and the volume of traffic provoke intense decay of the Morandi viaduct structure on a daily basis in the rush hours as it is subject to major demands,” the report concluded, the news agency ANSA reported.
“The viaduct, therefore, has been subject to continuous maintenance for years,” the report read.
More than 1,000 emergency workers combed through the area in the aftermath of the collapse to rescue survivors who might be trapped in the rubble.
The bridge, which crossed the Polcevera River, provided a pathway for commuters, connecting the eastern and western parts of the city.
The disaster fueled tension between the Five Star Movement — Italy’s new governing coalition — and Autostrade per l’Italia — as both