Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy Still in the News

The Morandi Bridge collapsed 14 August 2018. The replacement was complete last year. Poor Maintenance and Construction Flaws Are Cited in Italy Bridge Collapse - The New York Times

The 2018 collapse of a bridge in northwestern Italy that killed 43 people was a result of problems in the structure’s conception, design, construction and, more recently, maintenance that led to corrosion in some steel cables that ultimately snapped, according to an independent report that was made public on Monday.

The image is of the bridge, before the collapse. (Click the image, for a larger view, and background info. Image by Davide Papalini.) Click thru to the New York Times article to see a photo of the bridge shortly after the collapse. Somewhere there is video of the explosive demolition of the remainder of the bridge, but I don't have time to look for that, even though I love explosive demolition.

That report is 467 pages, I haven't even looked at it because I am sure it is in Italian, and I am fairly sure that Google Translate does a poor job with Italian. I may look at it eventually. In the meantime, we will rely on the reporters. (A problematic stance, I know.)

A trial is scheduled for this year to find someone to hold accountable, because 43 people died, and 600 people were made homeless by the collapse.

“If, in any of these phases, [conception, design, construction and maintenance] the proper checks were made, it was highly likely that they could have prevented the tragedy,” the report seen by The New York Times read. “The lack and/or the inadequacy of the checks are the weak link in the system.”

As I noted last year when the new bridge, which was under construction, caught my attention, Everything Needs Maintenance – The Morandi Bridge Collapse.