Polcevera Viaduct

demolished highway bridge in Genoa, Italy

Key facts

Carried: Four lanes of roadway
Crossed: Polcevera Turin–Genoa railway Milan–Genoa railway
Locale: Genoa , Liguria , Italy
Official name: Viadotto Polcevera
Design: Cable-stayed bridge
Total length: 1,182 metres (3,878 ft)
Height: Piers 90.5 metres (297 ft), Road Deck 45 metres (148 ft)
Longest span: 210 metres (690 ft)
Clearance above: 40 metres (130 ft)
Designer: Riccardo Morandi
Opened: 4 September 1967 ( 1967-09-04 )
Collapsed: 14 August 2018 ( 2018-08-14 )

Article

Ponte Morandi (English: Morandi Bridge), officially Viadotto Polcevera (English: Polcevera Viaduct) , was a road viaduct in Genoa, Liguria, Italy, constructed between 1963 and 1967 along the A10 motorway over the Polcevera River, from which it derived its official name. It connected Genoa's Sampierdarena and Cornigliano districts across the Polcevera Valley. The bridge was widely called "Ponte Morandi" after its structural designer, engineer Riccardo Morandi.

On 14 August 2018, a 210-metre (690 ft) section of the viaduct collapsed during a rainstorm, resulting in the deaths of 43 people. The collapse led to a year-long state of emergency in the Liguria region, extensive analysis of the structural failure, and widely varying assignment of responsibility.