Motorway bridge collapses in Genoa, Italy

A major bridge has collapsed near the northern Italian city of Genoa, police say.

The bridge, a part of the A10 motorway, is about 100 metres tall, Italian media say - and there are unconfirmed reports that cars may have been involved.

Photographs from the scene show huge sections of rubble on the ground underneath the middle of the bridge.

One image shows a truck perched at the end of the surviving bridge section immediately before the drop.

Motorway bridge collapses in Genoa, Italy

Horrible news. I actually used that bridge many times. I hope there are survivors...

a reply to: exponencial

looks bad.

a reply to: exponencial

Hoping for no victims at all.

We need this bridge fixed immediately or there's going to be a salami shortage.

That's bad news.

a reply to: exponencial

Hope no one was seriously hurt.

I also hope we don't have to start reading these stories happening in the states because we keep neglecting our infrastructure.

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: exponencial

Hope no one was seriously hurt.

I also hope we don't have to start reading these stories happening in the states because we keep neglecting our infrastructure.

On the news now, 13 confirmed dead.

I want my bridge to be strong & supportive versus being pretty & elegant.

Dangerous Italian highways. This happened a week ago near the city of Bologna:


Bologna is not far from Genoa. I remembered this video when I heard about the bridge collapse, and had to see if it was the same place. It was not, so this collapse must be caused by something else.

22 are confirmed dead in the bridge collapse, and that number is expected to rise.

What the hell is a motorway bridge?

Jesus...A sudden 100 meter drop of doom...heluva way to go.

RIP

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
What the hell is a motorway bridge?

A bridge that's part of a motorway, which is what they call highways over there.

30 are confirmed dead now. According to an eyewitness, the bridge was hit by lightning before it collapsed. Incredible, if that's the case!


Link

The disaster struck around noon, when one of the bridge's central pillars collapsed during a violent rainstorm. A witness told ANSA that lightning had struck the bridge before the collapse.

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: exponencial

Hope no one was seriously hurt.

I also hope we don't have to start reading these stories happening in the states because we keep neglecting our infrastructure.

Sadly, you can bet on it. The US has been neglecting its infrastructure terribly.


a reply to: Hellmutt

Dafuq? How could a lightning strike cause a bridge to collapse? I'm thinking this may be just a coincidence.

originally posted by: face23785

originally posted by: BrianFlanders
What the hell is a motorway bridge?

A bridge that's part of a motorway, which is what they call highways over there.

"Motorway" sounds like something an old British man would have said in 1905.

originally posted by: AndyFromMichigan

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: exponencial

Hope no one was seriously hurt.

I also hope we don't have to start reading these stories happening in the states because we keep neglecting our infrastructure.

Sadly, you can bet on it. The US has been neglecting its infrastructure terribly.


a reply to: Hellmutt

Dafuq? How could a lightning strike cause a bridge to collapse? I'm thinking this may be just a coincidence.

The bridge was in poor condition and it was being repaired. Lightning strikes have a shock effect as well as an electrical effect.

gee i wonder if this has anything to do with the work of shoring up the foundations?

The highway operator said work to shore up its foundation was being carried out at the time of the collapse.

add onto that a violent cloudburst happening.

which would beg the question of why the bridge was in service at a time when such work is being done.

I've just heard on the Danish TV2-news, someone saw a small piece of the bridge fall down some 2½ hours before the major collapse. That person allegedly tried to warn authorities about it, but apparently was unsuccessful. I've tried to find this online...

Also, two years ago, an Italian engineering professor apparently said it would be cheaper to build a new bridge instead of repairing the old one. WARNING IGNORED: Chilling prediction before bridge collapse.

originally posted by: generik
gee i wonder if this has anything to do with the work of shoring up the foundations?

The highway operator said work to shore up its foundation was being carried out at the time of the collapse.

add onto that a violent cloudburst happening.

which would beg the question of why the bridge was in service at a time when such work is being done.

Is a cloudburst similar to a microburst, or do they maybe sometimes happen in conjunction?
A couple of years ago there was a huge microburst about 20k's from my house, it completely flattened about 5 square kilometres of bushland, huge gumtrees snapped like matchsticks.
At the epicentre everything was actually shredded.
Was a miracle it happened where it did and not near a dwelling.
Had no idea they could be so powerful, a shockwave from a microburst hitting the right spot on a bridge like that could easily overwhelm its structural integrity.

a reply to: Osirisvset

A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation in a short period of time,[1] sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, that is capable of creating flood conditions. A cloudburst can suddenly dump large amounts of water e.g. 25 mm of precipitation corresponds to 25,000 metric tons/km2 (1 inch corresponds to 72,300 short tons over one square mile). However, cloudbursts are infrequent as they occur only via orographic lift or occasionally when a warm air parcel mixes with cooler air, resulting in sudden condensation. At times, a large amount of runoff from higher elevations is mistakenly conflated with a cloudburst. The term "cloudburst" arose from the notion that clouds were akin to water balloons and could burst, resulting in rapid precipitation. Though this idea has since been disproven, the term remains in use.

en.wikipedia.org...