MILAN, August 3, 2020 – “Today was one of the most emotional days of my life. This project was very much a special project for all of us. It was born out of a tragedy and built with the determination to do it well and to help the city restart as quickly as possible. It was done with the knowledge that we cannot wish away a tragedy, but that at least we can work together to close this unacceptable tear. This bridge must remind us of the importance of maintaining the upkeep of the infrastructure that we use every day, and how important it is to give our country new infrastructure that, like this one, can support the economic development of entire cities and regions,” Webuild Chief Executive Pietro Salini said at the solemn ceremony to inaugurate the “Genova San Giorgio” Bridge built in record time by Webuild and Fincantieri. “The Genova Model is the answer that we want to give to this crisis that is convulsing our country. It is the fruit of the labour of the hearts and hands of more than 1,000 people and 330 small- and medium-sized businesses that worked alongside us. It is about trust, work and the future.” 

After a mere 15 months since the start of its construction, the new bridge enters the daily life of the Genovese. It was a demanding project that took some 420 days, from the laying of the first pier to the delivery of the bridge on August 2. It involved more than 10,100 hours of work, meaning every day since the start save for Christmas and a few days of bad weather. It was a job performed 24 hours a day, seven days a week that involved more than 1,000 people representing 40 trades. They worked non-stop in parallel at 20 workstations on site, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, making it a flagship project for the country. It is project that can be and must absolutely be replicated. It is for this reason that we wanted to honour all the people who took part in this endeavour with a plaque engraved with their names. This bridge represents a new way of doing infrastructure in Italy. It is a symbol and proof that even in Italy strategic public works can be built within the right timeframe, at the right cost and in respect of norms and safety rules. This is the lesson for Liguria and the country that this bridge leaves us - a lesson of hope for the future.”