Italy bridge collapses

This item appears on page 4 of the June 2020 issue.

A highway bridge crossing the River Magra in northern Italy collapsed on April 9. The 4-lane bridge is usually heavily trafficked, but, due to COVID-19 quarantines in the area, it was practically empty at the time, with only two cars on the bridge. Both drivers suffered minor injuries.

The bridge was damaged during a storm in November 2019, but it was repaired and had been approved by engineers to reopen. There have been concerns about Italy’s aging bridges ever since the Ponte Morandi collapsed in Genoa in August 2018, killing 43 people.