The operator of the Žižkov Bridge knew about the risk as early as 2014

Genoa - The operator of the Genoa bridge, the company Autostrade per l'Italia (ASPI), had known since 2014 about the risk of the structure collapsing. This came to pass last August, and 43 people lost their lives. This was reported by the newspaper La Repubblica. Italian media also wrote that the sensors intended to monitor the Morandi bridge were removed in 2015 for maintenance and were never put back into operation.

The management of ASPI, which is part of the Atlantia holding, had previously asserted that the company SPEA, which among other things oversees construction safety, had not warned them of any risks regarding the Genoa bridge. However, according to the media, this contradicts a document that police confiscated from the holding's digital archive.

The document analyzing risks was prepared by ASPI, reviewed by the board of both the company and the Atlantia holding, and was also known to representatives of the government. Between 2014 and 2016, the document stated that there was a risk of the bridge collapsing. In 2017, the assessment changed to "risk of loss of stability."

"We will continue the battle to ensure that Atlantia loses its concessions to operate highways," reiterated on Thursday the head of the protest Movement Five Stars from the government coalition and the current Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, who was the Deputy Prime Minister at the time of the tragedy.

Atlantia conditioned its participation in the rescue of the debt-laden airline Alitalia on the retention of its concessions, ANSA wrote. However, according to Reuters, the planned consortium, which was to take over the troubled airline, withdrew on Tuesday.