MILAN, April 5, 2020 – In their relentless drive and unwavering commitment, workers on the construction site of the new Genoa bridge have reached another milestone with the simultaneous installation of two separate sections of the deck  to bring to more than 900 metres the structure’s installed length. These extraordinary manoeuvres are being done during a national emergency caused by the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The PerGenova joint-venture between Salini Impregilo and Fincantieri is also proceeding with work on the already installed part of the structure and preparing to raise the last four sections of the deck to complete the bridge. Technicians and workers are maintaining a high production rate while respecting the safety measures in order to complete the structure with all the sections of the deck installed by the end of April.

“It is the success of a marvellous, cohesive team,” says Nicola Meistro, General Manager Domestic Operations at Salini Impregilo and Chief Executive of PerGenova. “All of our people have shown a great ability to adapt to this new context. It is thanks to them, and the suppliers and the rest of the production chain that work alongside us every day in full respect of the rules, that the Genoa Bridge is a model for Phase 2 for all of Italy, a country of people who in times of difficulty know how to roll up their sleeves in a show of confidence and courage.”

Thanks to the fast-track model that has seen various activities proceed simultaneously throughout the construction site, today the hard work performed by technicians saw a section of the deck 51 metres in length get raised between Piers 12 and 13 on the east side of the riverbed, and a section of Abutment A get hoisted between Piers 1 and 2 on the west side with the help of a temporary tower. The former section weighed 410 tonnes and was hoisted to a height of 40 metres. The latter section was about 15 metres long and weighed 114 tonnes. “We have made a big step forward,” said Renzo Rossi, Senior Production Manager at Salini Impregilo and site manager.

Work proceeds on the access ramp of the highway as well as the complex operation to prepare the base of the installed deck: 8,000 cubic metres of concrete to be poured by starting at both ends of the bridge at the same time and working  towards the centre. This activity will be done round the clock. All of these activities are being done simultaneously in order to deliver the new bridge to Genova and its residents as soon as possible. “We are giving every we’ve got and speeding up the work as much as possible,” said Francesco Poma, Senior Project Manager Italia at Salini Impregilo and Project Manager of the bridge.

The construction site of the new bridge is deploying extraordinary measures as a result of the coronavirus, such as measuring the body temperature of every worker who enters the site, distributing hand sanitisers and installing disinfectant gel dispensers, enforcing the safe distance rule, cleaning and disinfecting work sites and common areas, and reducing the number of people who can travel in the same vehicle to and from the site. In addition, all workers have protection masks whose use is obligatory when they are close to their colleagues. These measures are but a summary of what has been adopted at the site, much like those at sites elsewhere in the world operated by the Salini Impregilo Group as it confronts the health emergency with a task force that is operating at a global level.

The bridge under construction is illuminated every evening at 8:30 p.m. with three lasers beaming the colours of the Italian flag to create a Bridge of Light to express Salini Impregilo’s solidarity with the country and transmit to Genoa a message of hope for the future.