Genoa-Saint George Bridge
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The Genoa Saint George Bridge () is a
motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...
viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide ...
that crosses the Polcevera river and the districts of
Sampierdarena Sampierdarena (also San Pier d'Arena; Ligurian: San Pè d'ænn-a) is a major port and industrial area of Genoa, in northwest Italy. With San Teodoro it forms the West Central (Centro Ovest) ''municipio''. Geography Sampierdarena lies on ...
and
Cornigliano Cornigliano (), also called Cornigliano Ligure from the name of the independent municipality until 1926, is a western quarter of the Italian city of Genoa. Geography Cornigliano lies on the coast about 7 kilometres west of the center of Genoa ...
, in the city of
Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...
. It was designed by architect
Renzo Piano Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable works include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), Kansai International Airport in Osaka (1994), the Whitney ...
. The bridge replaces the
Ponte Morandi (English: Morandi Bridge), officially (English: Polcevera Viaduct), was a road viaduct in Genoa, Liguria, Italy, constructed between 1963 and 1967 along the Autostrada A10 (Italy), A10 motorway over the Polcevera, Polcevera River, from which i ...
(Polcevera Viaduct), which partially collapsed on 14 August 2018 and was demolished in June 2019. The new viaduct, with its associated junctions, constitutes the initial section of the Italian A10 motorway, managed by the concessionaire
Autostrade per l'Italia Autostrade per l'Italia S.p.A. (formerly Autostrade S.p.A.) is an Italian joint-stock company specializing in the management of motorway sections under concession and related maintenance activities. Originally established as a state-owned enter ...
, which in turn is included in the
European route E80 European route E80, also known as the Trans-European Motorway or TEM, is an A-Class West-East European route, extending from Lisbon, Portugal to Gürbulak, Turkey, on the border with Iran. The road connects 10 countries and has a length of ...
. The new bridge was inaugurated on 3 August 2020.


Features

The bridge design was developed by the Genoese architect Renzo Piano through his ''Building Workshop'' and was officially presented on 7 September 2018 together with the President of
Liguria Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...
Giovanni Toti Giovanni Toti (born 7 September 1968) is an Italian journalist and politician, who has been President of Liguria from 2015 to 2024. Toti was also elected to the European Parliament, following the 2014 European Parliament election. Biography B ...
, the Mayor of Genoa Marco Bucci and the CEOs of Autostrade per l'Italia and
Fincantieri Fincantieri S.p.A. () is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (2014 ...
, Giovanni Castellucci and Giuseppe Bono respectively. The project includes four lanes and two emergency lanes. Built as a mixed steel-concrete structure, it is long, approximately wide and high and consists of 19 spans supported by 18 elliptical section reinforced concrete stacks with a constant shape. The viaduct is constantly monitored by four robots (designed by the ''
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia The Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) (in English: Italian Institute of Technology) is a scientific research centre based in Genoa (Italy, EU). Its main goal is the advancement of science, in Italy and worldwide, through projects and discove ...
'') equipped with wheels (with which they were to move along the external rails of the viaduct) and articulated arms. The role of these robots was to automate inspection of the lower surface of the bridge and the cleaning of windproof barriers and solar panels. The entire metal deck and concrete piers are constantly monitored by a system designed by the CETENA SpA company of the Fincantieri group. The system is made up of 240 fibre optic sensors and constantly detects the movements of the deck, the inclinations of the piles, the vibrations of the structure and the vehicular traffic, providing real-time reports to the manager of the motorway section. It also has a dehumidification system to prevent the build-up of saline condensation and limit corrosion damage.


Construction

On 18 December 2018, two companies,
Salini Impregilo Webuild S.p.A. (previously Salini Impregilo S.p.A.; ) is an Italian industrial group specialising in construction and civil engineering. The company was formally founded in 2014 as the result of the merger by incorporation of Salini into Impregi ...
and
Fincantieri Fincantieri S.p.A. () is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (2014 ...
, were awarded the contract for the construction of the bridge. At a cost of 202 million euros and to be built in a year with the development of the executive design entrusted to Italferr while the direction and supervision, the demolition and construction of the new bridge was entrusted to the
RINA Rina or RINA may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Rina (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Kento Rina, Indian politician * Mahfuza Rahman Rina, Bangladeshi politician * Tongam Rina (born 1979), Indian jo ...
certification company for 14 million euros. On 25 June 2019, the first stone was officially laid with the casting of the base of pile 9 in the presence of various authorities. The casting of the concrete slab began on 6 June 2020, and the operation was completed in about ten days. On 21 July 2020, the mayor of Genoa, Marco Bucci, made official the name of the bridge and its inauguration for 3 August 2020. With a mix of
mourning Mourning is the emotional expression in response to a major life event causing grief, especially loss. It typically occurs as a result of someone's death, especially a loved one. The word is used to describe a complex of behaviors in which t ...
and
joy Joy is the state of being that allows one to experience feelings of intense, long-lasting happiness and contentment of life. It is closely related to, and often evoked by, well-being, success, or good fortune. Happiness, pleasure, and gratitu ...
the newest bridge in Genoa was inaugurated with honors to Italian President
Sergio Mattarella Sergio Mattarella (; born 23 July 1941) is an Italian politician and jurist who has served as the president of Italy since 2015. He is the longest-serving president in the history of the Italian Republic. Since Giorgio Napolitano's death in 20 ...
and other authorities present, the last wishes delivered in a speech by the architect
Renzo Piano Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable works include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), Kansai International Airport in Osaka (1994), the Whitney ...
. The speed limit on the bridge is 80 km/h (60 km/h for vehicles that weigh more than 12 tons).


See also

*
Polcevera The Polcevera (in Ligurian ''Pûçéivia'' or ''Ponçéivia'') is a river in Liguria (Italy). Geography The river is named the Polcevera from Pontedecimo, at the confluence of the Torrente Riccò (left-hand) and torrente Verde (right-hand) ...
*
Val Polcevera Val Polcevera is one of the main valleys crossing Genoa, taking its name from the eponymous river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower ...


References


External links

* * * * * * * * {{Cite web, title=Testo coordinato del Decreto Legge 28 settembre 2018, n. 109, url=https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2018/11/19/18A07450/sg, publisher=
Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana The ''Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana'' () is the official journal of record of the Italian government. It is published by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. Function The ''Gazzetta Ufficiale'' promulgates acts o ...
Concrete bridges Bridges completed in 2020 Steel bridges Renzo Piano buildings Buildings and structures in Genoa Transport in Genoa Bridges in Genoa