Morandi Bridge: 1.13 billion in compensatory works still to be carried out

The eighth anniversary of the Morandi Bridge tragedy – the motorway viaduct in Genoa that collapsed on 14 August 2018, claiming 43 lives – is being commemorated with a different sense of awareness compared to previous years. This is because, just one month ago, on 16 July, the Court of Genoa handed down its first-instance judgement against those deemed responsible for the disaster which, according to prosecutors and judges, could have been prevented. The total sentences for the 32 defendants amount to just under 180 years, and the former chief executive of Autostrade per l’Italia, Giovanni Castellucci, was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment for the offences of negligent causing of a collapse and road homicide. Among the other convicted individuals were representatives of Aspi – Autostrade per l’Italia – a subsidiary, at the time of the collapse, of Atlantia (the holding company 30 per cent owned by the Benetton family, via Edizione SpA) – as well as representatives of Spea (which was responsible for maintaining the motorway network) and the Ministry of Infrastructure.

The outcome of the trial – the grounds for which will be filed in January, given the complexity of the proceedings – whilst unable to alleviate the still-raw grief of the relatives of those who lost their lives, has nevertheless been welcomed by the Committee for the Remembrance of the Morandi Bridge Victims, as expressed by its chair, Egle Possetti, who emphasised, above all, that ‘responsibility has been established’ and that ‘the aggravating circumstance of vehicular homicide has been upheld’, meaning that any limitation periods ‘will be longer’.

But it was the whole city of Genoa that was affected by the tragedy of 2018, as well as, first and foremost, the families of the victims. For this reason, a compensation agreement was signed with Autostrade in 2021, and reconfirmed in 2024 with all the Ligurian authorities – the City Council, the Regional Government and the Ministry. The agreement stipulates that Aspi is to arrange a series of compensation payments linked to various compensatory works, totalling over 1.68 billion. To date, however, works worth 1.13 billion remain to be carried out, although the funds have already been made available by Aspi. The total sum (1.68 billion) includes over 583 million spent on the construction of the San Giorgio viaduct; 100 million to be allocated to transport, logistics and digital projects in the Genoa area (the City of Genoa has not yet decided how to use these funds); 75 million for the reorganisation of the port’s road network (almost all of which has already been spent by the Port Authority); and 930 million for two tunnels: the Genoa sub-port tunnel (700 million) and the Val Fontanabuona tunnel (230 million). For the first of these, whose budget has since risen to 1.1 billion (the portion not covered by the compensation will be paid by Aspi using revenue from motorway tolls across the entire national network), Lot A (valued at 210–220 million) has already commenced; Lot B (valued at 803 million, though work has yet to begin) was awarded to Webuild following a tender process concluded at the end of July. As for the Val Fontanabuona tunnel (which will start from the A12 between Rapallo and Zoagli, reaching Fontanabuona via a 5.6-kilometre underground ramp and two tunnels, one 2 kilometres long and the other 2.5 kilometres), the Services Conference concluded in April and the final design is currently being drawn up, with completion expected in December. Work is likely to begin in January. The total amount of funds still to be utilised therefore amounts, as mentioned, to approximately 1.13 billion.

On 14 August 2018, at 11.36 am, a violent storm struck Genoa. It was at that time that a stay cable on the Polcevera viaduct – part of the A10 motorway designed by engineer Riccardo Morandi and completed in 1967 – snapped, causing the span at pier 9 of the bridge to collapse and claiming 43 lives in an instant. In September 2018, the Genoa Public Prosecutor’s Office entered the first 20 people on the list of suspects, including the then CEO Castellucci; as well as senior officials from the Ministry, alongside Spea’s top management and technical staff.

On 28 June 2019, a controlled explosion at 9.37 am caused the remaining sections of the viaduct to collapse. On 3 August 2020, the new San Giorgio viaduct, designed by the architect Renzo Piano, was inaugurated.