The collapse of the bridge in Genoa claimed 43 human lives a year ago

Genoa - A selection of information about the collapse of the highway bridge in the Italian city of Genoa, which killed 43 people a year ago:

- The worst disaster of its kind in modern European history occurred on Tuesday, August 14, 2018, around half past eleven in the morning, when a 200-meter section of the bridge collapsed into a depth of 45 meters during a storm and rain, falling from the westernmost of three tall pillars. Along with the roadway, more than thirty personal and cargo vehicles fell onto warehouses and a railway line below and into the swollen River Polcevera. 43 people died in the collapse, while another 16 survived with various injuries.

- Among the people on the bridge who survived the fall was Czech truck driver Martin Kučera, who suffered five broken ribs and had bruised lungs. The Czech, who returned to work in early November, was saved by being buckled in and driving the latest model of a truck with reinforced cabin pillars. Kučera was also saved by his cargo - heavy paper that pulled the trailer off the bridge in such a way that the rear of the trailer fell first, which also detached before impact.

- The bridge’s collapse, which stood on a busy highway route connecting the Italian mainland with both the Italian and French Riviera, caused a massive wave of outrage in Italy, directed against government authorities and the highway operator, Autostrade per l'Italia. About half of the victims - which included 29 Italians as well as citizens from France (four victims), Chile (three), Albania (two), Jamaica, Colombia, Moldova, Peru, and Romania (one each) - received a state funeral, but the rest of the families refused it.

- Some bereaved families refused to attend the official ceremony because they believed that the state bore the blame for the tragedy. According to the investigative report from the Italian Ministry of Transport, published at the end of September, Autostrade per l'Italia did not take sufficient measures to prevent the bridge's collapse, even though the risk of collapse had been present in previous years. However, the company rejected the criticism, labeling the findings of the ministry's expert commission as a "hypothesis that needs to be verified".

- The suspended concrete bridge was built in Genoa from 1963 to 1967 and was officially opened on September 4, 1967, in the presence of the then Italian President Giuseppe Saragat. The bridge was 1102 meters long (for comparison – the Nusle Bridge in Prague measures 485 meters), with the roadway 45 meters above the ground (the Nusle Bridge is about three meters lower). It was supported by three reinforced concrete pillars standing 90 meters tall with a maximum span of 210 meters, while on the eastern side, it was additionally supported by a series of lower pillars.

- The structure was designed by Italian civil engineer Riccardo Morandi (1902-1989). His suspended bridges are characterized by a very small number of supports, which are often made from prestressed concrete. According to experts, Morandi's constructions are visually interesting, but their construction is also more costly. The Genoa bridge - officially named Viadotto Polcevera, or Polcevera Viaduct after the river flowing beneath it - underwent partial renovation three years before the collapse.

- Over the past year, the demolition of the remnants of the more than one-kilometer bridge gradually began, culminating in the demolition of the two remaining pillars on June 28 of this year. Shortly before that, construction began on a new bridge designed by the famous architect Renzo Piano, a native of Genoa who is known, among other things, as a co-author of the Paris Centre Pompidou. He designed the steel bridge with a cross-section reminiscent of a ship for free.