Collapsed bridges in Italy raises safety concerns

ROME

Five bridge collapses in the last three years, including one last week, have raised questions about safety and control of Italy’s roads.

The Italian government and private sector have failed to prevent the accidents which killed 46 Italians and foreigners in three of the accidents.

Geologist Antonello Fiore, head of the Italian Society for Environmental Geology, told Anadolu Agency that Italy is geologically sensitive. “The problem is not only in the structures themselves but also where they were built.”

“Long-term planning is necessary in order to solve such a complex problem. The building must be controlled, observed and intervened accordingly,” he said.

The Morandi Bridge collapse occurred Sunday when a landslide destroyed its central structure, he said. “In the last 15 days, some parts of Piemonte and Liguria regions have received rainfall equal to 50% of the annual amount. In my opinion, such a landslide was difficult to predict.”

Bridge disasters in the last three years

The bridge on highway 36 in the Annone Brianza region in northwestern Italy collapsed Oct. 28, 2016, killing a passenger.

The bridge on the road A14, known as the Adriatic road near Ancona in central Italy, collapsed March 9, 2017, killing two people.

A viaduct collapsed on the ring road in Fossano in northern Italy on April 18, 2018. There was no casualties.

The Morandi Bridge, one of the major links of the A10 motorway passing through Genoa in northwestern Italy, collapsed Aug. 14, 2018. A total of 43 people were killed.

On Sunday, one of the bridges on the A6 motorway, which links Savona and Turin, collapsed due to a natural disaster. There were no casualties.

*Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur