News summary produced by Claude AI
A major criminal trial in Genoa concluded with judges delivering a verdict regarding the collapse of the Morandi road bridge, one of Italy’s deadliest disasters. The 1,182-metre structure, which had spanned a key highway between Italy and France, gave way on August 14, 2018, when a central section crumbled during torrential rain, killing 43 people. The bridge, inaugurated in 1967, had been subject to expert warnings about deterioration since the turn of the century, yet critical repairs were not completed.
Investigations determined that the collapse resulted from the rupture of load-bearing cables inside the bridge’s ninth pillar, which had corroded over its 51-year lifespan. Prosecutors alleged that inadequate, missed, or falsified maintenance contributed to the disaster, as officials prioritized cost-saving measures and dividend payments to shareholders over necessary repairs. The bridge was also carrying significantly more traffic than originally designed for, with approximately 50,000 to 60,000 vehicles crossing daily. Defense arguments countered that an original construction flaw made the failure undetectable and unpreventable through maintenance alone.
The trial involved 59 defendants facing numerous charges ranging from multiple manslaughter to transport safety violations and false statements, all of whom denied wrongdoing. Prosecutors sought an 18-and-a-half-year prison sentence for Giovanni Castellucci, former CEO of Atlantia, the company that operated the bridge through its Autostrade subsidiary. Prison terms for other defendants, including company employees and government officials, were sought ranging from two years and four months to 15 and a half years. Autostrade and its maintenance subsidiary had settled their case in 2022 and were excluded from the trial.
Victims’ families, represented by the Comitato Parenti Vittime Ponte Morandi, waited nearly eight years for justice. The new San Giorgio Bridge, designed by architect Renzo Piano and equipped with maintenance robots and anti-corrosion systems, replaced the destroyed structure and was inaugurated in August 2020. The disaster raised broader concerns about infrastructure safety across Italy, with estimates suggesting thousands of bridges and tunnels nationwide could be at risk due to aging infrastructure and construction practices from the 1960s and 1970s.