Genoa bridge verdict turns maintenance failure into criminal accountability

An Italian court has sentenced the former head of motorway operator Autostrade per l’Italia to 12 years in prison over the 2018 Morandi Bridge collapse in Genoa, one of Italy’s deadliest infrastructure disasters. The collapse killed 43 people when a major section of the motorway viaduct failed during heavy rain, sending vehicles plunging onto railway tracks, buildings and the Polcevera River below.

Giovanni Castellucci, the former chief executive of Autostrade per l’Italia, was found guilty of offences linked to vehicle homicide and negligence. The verdict came after a long criminal trial involving 57 defendants, including motorway executives, maintenance company officials and infrastructure ministry personnel. In total, 32 people were convicted, while others were acquitted or had cases dismissed due to limitation periods.

The ruling is not expected to be the final stage of the legal process, with appeals likely. However, it marks a major moment for the families of the victims, who have waited years for responsibility to be formally addressed.

The Morandi Bridge was completed in 1967 and was a key motorway link between France and Italy. Its collapse placed intense scrutiny on the inspection, maintenance and management of ageing infrastructure.

Investigators argued that warning signs were known and that strengthening works were delayed. A central issue was pier number 9, where the collapse occurred. According to investigation findings reported in the case, the stays of this pier had not received even minimal reinforcement over more than five decades, while works had been carried out or planned on other parts of the bridge.

The defence argued that the collapse was caused by a hidden construction defect, particularly corrosion of cables encased in concrete. This point is technically important because prestressed or cable-supported concrete systems can hide deterioration from visual inspection. However, that argument does not remove the broader engineering lesson: critical structures need inspection methods capable of detecting concealed degradation before it becomes catastrophic.

The Morandi Bridge collapse showed that bridge safety depends on more than original design capacity. Long-term performance is controlled by maintenance, monitoring, inspection access, material deterioration, corrosion protection, traffic loading, drainage and governance.

For ageing bridges, especially those using complex concrete stay or prestressed systems, standard visual checks may not be enough. Owners and authorities need risk-based assessment programmes, structural health monitoring where appropriate, intrusive inspections, material testing and timely strengthening when defects are identified.

The disaster also exposed how technical risk can become institutional risk. If inspection findings are delayed, maintenance is postponed or responsibility is fragmented between operators, consultants and regulators, the structure may remain in service while its actual safety margin is falling.

The old Morandi Bridge was demolished after the disaster and replaced by the San Giorgio Bridge, designed by Renzo Piano and opened in 2020. But the legal verdict keeps the central lesson alive: infrastructure failure is rarely sudden in origin. It is often the final stage of deterioration, missed warnings and decisions not taken in time.