Ponte Morandi, the department that was never born to supervise major works

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A law that dates back to 56 years ago, which has never been implemented. This is what emerges from one of the depositions during the trial for the collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa. The case was raised by the words of Emanuele Renzi, manager of Ansfisa, the National Agency for the safety of railways and road and motorway infrastructures. “A special department has not been set up at the Central Technical Service of the Superior Council of Public Works with the task of following the behavior of large buildings over time,” said Renzi.

The reference is to a circular from the Ministry of Public Works dating back to 1967. In addition to Renzi, Massimo Sessa, president of the Superior Council of Public Works, was also heard. They were heard about the supervision by the Council with respect to major works such as the Genoa bridge which collapsed on 14 August 2018 with 43 victims.

The 1967 circular establishes «for all large constructions, important works of art, bridges and viaducts of considerable height, structures with considerable free span or in any case out of the ordinary due to special circumstances of place and use, a special check by of the Ministry of Public Works”. Furthermore, for the works already completed and for those “that have been in operation for a long time, a special department will be set up at the Central Technical Service of the Superior Council of Public Works with the task of following the behavior of these large buildings over time”.

Indications that remained a dead letter, emerged during the trial for the tragedy of almost five years ago. After the collapse of the Morandi bridge, as the witnesses recalled at the same time, the new Guidelines on existing bridges were drawn up by the Superior Council of Public Works, a document that intervenes on the frequency of inspections, on the scheduling of interventions and on any limitations of the traffic and risk prevention.

In July, from 17 to 19, the trial for the collapse of the Morandi bridge will move to Rome on the decision of the president of the college Paolo Lepri in order to be able to hear as a witness the engineer Francesco Pisani, a pupil of Riccardo Morandi and in charge, in 2010 from Aspi to plan the work on pile 9, the one that later collapsed. The project was never actually built. The trip was necessary due to Pisani’s health and advanced age. The hearings will be held in the Rebibbia bunker room.