case study
The Silent Clock Inside Concrete Why the Morandi Bridge Disaster Demands a Material Revolution
When the bridge opened in 1967, it was hailed as an engineering achievement. Designed by Riccardo Morandi, it used an unusual cable-stayed system. Rather than leaving the steel cable bundles exposed, the design encased prestressing tendons in concrete sheaths. Concrete’s naturally alkaline environment can help protect embedded steel by forming a passive layer on its surface. The approach, however, made inspection of the tendons difficult and left the structure dependent on a small number of key stays. These features became central to later debate about the bridge’s condition, maintenance and design. The Morandi collapse should not be reduced to a single material choice or cause; investigations examined a complex combination of design, deterioration, monitoring and maintenance. The bridge stood less than a kilometer from the Mediterranean. Over time, moisture and chlorides can penetrate concrete through pores and cracks. If they reach
On the morning of 14 August 2018, a 210-metre section of Genoa’s Ponte Morandi Motorway Bridge collapsed into the Polcevera river valley. Thirty vehicles fell about 45 metres; 43 people died. The disaster severed a major transport link and prompted a lengthy criminal investigation. For engineers, asset managers and policymakers, the collapse remains a stark reminder of the risks that can accumulate inside ageing infrastructure, out of sight..
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Issue 4 – 2026
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