Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog

Thanks to lockdown in Italy only 2 people were injured when this 240m bridge collapsed at the beginning of April and, perhaps as a consequence, it has seen less media coverage than the Genoa motorway bridge collapse in 2018.

The bridge had six 40m RC arch spans between stone piers. All spans collapsed completely and at least two of the five piers were toppled in the process leading to a pretty thorough demolition job.

The state of repair of the Italian road network is clearly under considerable scrutiny and it seems likely that this bridge collapse is, at least in part, due to poor inspection and maintenance. Cracks appearing in the deck can be seen on street view and have been growing since 2011. These cracks were inspected in 2019 but no action was taken. Read more…