Why Italy’s Bridges Keep Collapsing

The collapse of a highway bridge in the northern Italian coastal region of Liguria in November and of one in nearby Genoa last year appear to have very different causes. But they raise similar questions, not only about the state of Italy’s infrastructure, but about the decision to entrust much of it to private operators, along with whether a country famed for its coasts and mountains is ready for the disruptions of climate change. Meanwhile, the coalition government is feeling the strain from the debate, as a push to strip the main toll-road operator of its lucrative contracts gains momentum.

There is an ongoing judicial investigation into the 2018 Morandi bridge disaster in Genoa, which killed 43 people. The 1.1 kilometer-long viaduct running through the northern city was built in the 1960s. A ministerial commission argued that Autostrade per l’Italia, which manages most of Italy’s toll roads, underestimated the deterioration of the structure. The company rebuffed those claims, saying it followed procedure and the law as its safety checks had triggered no alarms. The second bridge, operated by Societa Iniziative Autostradali e Servizi SpA, known as SIAS, fell during a mudslide caused by heavy rains. The company said the collapse was inevitable due to the force of the landslide.