Collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa on August 14, 2018: 43 victims, investigations, reconstruction by Renzo Piano and new San Giorgio bridge. Expected sentence 2026.
On August 14, 2018 the viaduct on the Polcevera collapsed causing 43 victims. From the tragedy to the investigation, from the reconstruction by Renzo Piano to the process still in progress.
It was the eve of Ferragosto of 2018 when, at 11:36, Pilone 9 of the Morandi bridge suddenly sold. In a few seconds the viaduct that connected the center of Genoa to the port area turned into rubble, overwhelming cars, trucks and lives. The final balance was 43 dead and over twenty injured; 600 people were evacuated by the houses under the spans left standing, in an area declared “red zone”.
The rescue operations mobilized 400 units of the firefighters, engaged in an exhausting work between ruins and pouring rain. Two days later, the government declared the state of national emergency.
The political impact and the beginning of the investigation
The political reaction was immediate: the then Minister of Infrastructure Danilo Toninelli established an inspection commission, while from Palazzo Chigi the procedure for the revocation of the concession to Autostrade per l’Italia, accused of serious deficiencies in maintenance, started. The excuses of the company or the allocation of half a billion euros for the families of the victims were of no use.
On August 28, 2018, the Genoese architect Renzo Piano presented the project for the new viaduct free of charge: a bright steel bridge, designed to be “simple, strong, safe and lasting like a ship”.
At the beginning of September, the Guardia di Finanza gave the prosecutor a first list of about thirty suspects, then climbed to sixty, between technicians and managers. The accusations ranged from the multiple manslaughter to the culpable disaster, up to the culpable attack on the safety of transport.
The Genoa decree and the appointment of Marco Bucci
A month after the collapse, the Council of Ministers approved the “Genoa Decree”, with aid to citizens and businesses, suspension of mortgages and establishment of a urban franca zone. To accelerate the works, the mayor Marco Bucci was appointed extraordinary commissioner for reconstruction.
On 14 December 2018 the demolition of the viaduct left, which ended on June 28, 2019 with a controlled explosion that demolished the last spans.
The rebirth of the bridge
In October 2019 the reconstruction began, entrusted to Salini Impregilo, Fincantieri and Italferr, with a plan as a supervisor. On April 28, 2020 the last span was placed, greeted by the sirens of the construction site and ships in port. On August 3, 2020 the new San Giorgio bridge was inaugurated in the presence of the institutions and family members of the victims.
Memory and justice
Today, seven years later, Genoa recalls the tragedy in the ceremony at the Memorial 14.8.2018, part of the future Polcevera park and the “Red Circle”, the urban redevelopment project of the most affected area.
On the judicial front, two trials are still in progress. In September, the hearings will resume, with the conclusion of the requisitions and the requests for penalty for over 50 defendants. The goal is to get to the first instance sentence by summer 2026.
