Alleged failings by motorway
company ASPI ahead of the August 2018 Genoa bridge collapse that
killed 43 people are "unacceptable", Transport and
Infrastructure Minister Paola De Micheli told an ANSA Forum
Friday.
It emerged this week that the risk of collapse was flagged as
early as 2014, allegedly false reports were filed, and sensors
that could have detected a risk of collapse were put out of
commission in 2015 after being sliced through during maintenance
work.
"In the last few hours things have emerged which are
unacceptable for me, because the issue of safety is fundamental
for us," De Micheli said.
ASPI is controlled by motorway group Atlantia, which recently
pulled out of the Alitalia rescue allegedly because it could not
secure promises that its motorway concessions would be renewed.
On the concessions, De Micheli said "technical talks are in
course".
The leader of the senior government partner, the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S), Foreign Minister Luigi
Di Maio, has vowed that Atlantia, and therefore ASPI, will
"never" get their concessions renewed.
ASPI allegedly knew as early as 2014 that the Morandi Bridge
was not safe and should have been shored up or demolished, an
Italian newspaper reported earlier this week.
So far ASPI managers have told investigators that no report
from motorway risk monitoring company SPEA had flagged up any
alarm on the Morandi Bridge.
But now a document taken from Atlantia's digital archive has
been seized by finance police investigators, La Repubblica daily
said Wednesday.
That risk-programming document, drafted by ASPI's risk
office, was allegedly seen by successive board meetings of both
ASPI and Atlantia.
In it, the Morandi Bridge was said to be at risk of collapse
from 2014 to 2016, Le Repubblica said, while from 2017 the
assessment was changed "risk of losing stability".
ASPI responded to the report Wednesday night saying that
"instructions from the Board to the operational structures is to
always safeguard and manage (risks) with the utmost rigour,
adopting all preventive measures deemed opportune".
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Paolo De Micheli said
Thursday that "anyone who has a public role (in infrastructure
care) must pay".
She said "anyone who has a bridge in their care is not doing
a routine job".
De Micheli said that ASPI's reaction to another report, on
the presence of a transport ministry official at an ASPI meeting
that allegedly discussed the Morandi Bridge collapse risk in
2015, was "unacceptable and incomprehensible".
ASPI allegedly said that the risk was "only theoretical".
In light of the alarm allegedly ignored by Atlantia in the
case, anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader and
Foreign Minister Luigi DI Maio said Thursday "we will continue
our battle to strip (Atlantia) of its motorway concession."
Atlantia has reportedly made keeping the motorway concessions
a condition for its taking part in the rescue of troubled
Italian former flag carrier Alitalia, an operation that has now
been postponed for the eighth time after doubts from Lufthansa
and a less-than-expected investment from Delta.
A new bridge is being built in Genoa, designed by local
starchitect Renzo Piano, featuring sail-like structures to
reflect the city's maritime heritage.
It is expected to be ready next year.
Also on Thursday, it was reported that sensors on the Morandi
Bridge used for gauging risks to the structure had been KO since
2015, when they were sliced during maintenance work.
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