Archinect - News

Webuild and Carlo Ratti propose replacement for Baltimore’s collapsed Key Bridge following tragedy

2024-05-03T15:28:00-04:00

Today, the Webuild group advanced a proposal designed in collaboration with architect and MIT professor Carlo Ratti and French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux for a new bridge in Baltimore that would replace the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The design, which was released ahead of next week’s preliminary reconstruction forum called by the Maryland Transportation Authority, calls for a cable suspension span totaling 2,300 feet with a 213-foot clearance and offering wider lanes and increased vessel navigation safety, structural maintenance monitoring technology, smart traffic management, and enhanced connection to the Harbor area.

Webuild had already famously contributed to the rapid reconstruction of Renzo Piano’s Morandi bridge replacement in Genoa, Italy, after the deadly 2018 collapse that killed 43 people. The company is also expecting to begin constructing what will become the world's longest suspension bridge over the Strait of Messina by the end of the year.

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NYT survey finds 309 bridges across the U.S. vulnerable to ship strikes following Baltimore disaster

2024-04-09T12:19:00-04:00

In the wake of last month’s fatal collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, the New York Times has published an assessment of other vulnerable spans across the country in danger of similar catastrophic failures due to the precarity of critical elements and various structural deficiencies.

According to the report, a total of 309 bridges are at risk of collapsing from a direct hit by an errant ship as was the case in Baltimore and nearly repeated in an incident last week at the Verrazzano Bridge in New York City.

Of those 309 surveyed, 193 bridges that service a significant number of motor vehicle traffic (10,000 or more cars per day) face dangers stemming from a lack of protective barriers at their pier supports and caissons. Among the largest are the Lewis and Clark Bridge in Washington state and the Crescent City Connection in New Orleans.

Recently on Archinect: Transportation Secretary Buttigieg admits ‘we don't fully know’ scope or extent of Francis Scott K...

Transportation Secretary Buttigieg admits ‘we don't fully know’ scope or extent of Francis Scott Key Bridge repairs in Baltimore

2024-04-01T13:02:00-04:00

"A lot goes into how that reconstruction will be designed, how the process is going to work," Buttigieg said on "Face the Nation" on Sunday. He noted that he didn't have an estimate on the rebuilding timeline, but the bridge itself took five years to initially construct. "Right now we don't fully know everything we need to know about the condition of the portions of the bridge that did not collapse."

Engineering News-Record reported that debris removal has already begun in haste at Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse site, where six people lost their lives last Tuesday, courtesy of the U.S. Navy, Army Corps of Engineers, and Coast Guard. The surviving portions of the bridge will first have to be removed piecemeal, although that work has no timeline.

Previously on Archinect: Major Baltimore bridge collapses after being struck by container ship

Speaking on CBS 'Face the Nation' on Sunday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Buttigieg said, “It’s a very complex process,” adding, “This is not going to happen overnight.” Maryland’s Governor Wes Moore told ENR, “To see this up close, you realize how daunting a task this is. You realize how difficult the work is ahead of us.”

The most recent reported costs for the bridge’s replacement are around $400 million.

The United States currently needs about $319 billion worth of repairs to bridges, according to an analysis that was released...

Major Baltimore bridge collapses after being struck by container ship

2024-03-26T11:04:00-04:00

A major bridge in Baltimore, MD has collapsed after being crashed into by a container ship. The Francis Scott Key Bridge, which spans 1.6 miles over the Patapsco River, was hit by the 1000-foot-long ship just before 01:30 ET.

Rescue efforts are ongoing for as many as seven people believed to be missing, while two people have already been pulled from the water alive. As the bridge was struck, contractors were working on the bridge to repair a concrete deck.

According to early reports, the container ship ‘Dali’ was leaving the port of Baltimore en route to Sri Lanka. On approach to the bridge, the ship deviated from its charted route, colliding with one of the bridge’s main concrete pillars. Upon impact, the bridge quickly crumbled into the river.

The bridge opened in 1977, designed as a steel arch continuous through truss bridge. At the time of its completion, the bridge’s main 1.6-mile span was the third longest of any continuous truss bridge in the world.

To maintain its structura...

Four years later, trial begins into collapse of Genoa’s Morandi Bridge

2022-07-08T11:39:00-04:00

A trial has opened in the Italian city of Genoa over the collapse of the Morandi Bridge. A total of 59 people are facing charges over the collapse, which killed 43 people on August 14th, 2018.

As reported by Reuters, the defendants are facing a range of charges from manslaughter to making false statements, all of which they deny. Giovanni Castellucci, CEO of the parent company of the motorway’s operator, faces 15 years in jail if found guilty of his charges, which include endangering safety on the roads and a willful failure to take precautions to prevent disasters.

Prosecutors may call up to 178 witnesses throughout the trial, which is expected to last months. One prosecutor expressed fears that if the trial extends too far into the future, the final verdict may not be delivered before the statute of limitations kicks in, thus ending legal proceedings.

In papers filed last year, prosecutors sa...

Busy Pittsburgh bridge collapses hours ahead of Biden's speech on infrastructure in the Steel City

2022-01-28T13:56:00-05:00

Ten people were injured Friday morning when a bridge that carries Forbes Avenue over Frick Park in Pittsburgh collapsed, officials said, with six vehicles including a Port Authority bus left stranded in the twisted mess of a bridge that had been listed in poor condition for the past decade.

President Biden is visiting the city today in a pre-planned visit to Carnegie Mellon University’s Mill 19 research hub, where, ironically, he is expected to deliver a speech on the dire need for infrastructure investment in Pittsburgh and the rest of the country. The Biden Administration recently added another $27 billion in federal funding earmarked especially for bridges to the $1 trillion infrastructure bill. Multiple investigations between 2011 and 2017 revealed the bridge to be in poor condition, according to the Pittburgh Post-Gazette.

“One man told me that the bridge he traveled on every day is a tragedy waiting to happen,” Biden said only a week ago while announcing the additional funding. “One woman wrote that a bridge near the center of her town had to be closed and now drivers and tourists bypass downtown, conjointly devastating local businesses. And one person wrote to me to say, quote, ‘This is your chance to show the people in my area that they matter to you.’ End of q...

Renzo Piano-designed Genoa Bridge completed in record 15 months

2020-08-05T13:44:00-04:00

Built in less than two years to replace the collapsed Morandi bridge, the new span is already a point of pride for Italy. But residents fear it will not be enough to revive their aging port city.

Documentary about the new Genoa Bridge (in Italian). Video via Webuild S.p.A. on YouTube.

The Genoa bridge project and its tragic origin on Archinect:

Florida bridge in danger of "imminent collapse"

2020-06-17T20:44:00-04:00

The United States Coast Guard is warning that a concrete bridge in Stuart, Florida is "at risk of imminent collapse."

CNN reports that the Roosevelt Bridge is currently closed for repairs after large structural cracks were discovered along the causeway's southbound span. The bridge, according to the report, was built 24 years ago and connects the town of Stuart with communities located to the north. The bridge spans over the St. Lucie River.

The Florida bridge is the latest span to suffer from troubling structural issues and follows the collapse of a pedestrian bridge at Florida International Unviersity in 2018. Forensic research teams deduced in 2019 that the bridge's collapse was due in part to a flawed design and less than necessary construction oversight.

Renzo Piano bridge in Genoa designed to “last 1,000 years” is nearly finished

2020-04-29T16:57:00-04:00

The replacement for the Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy, which collapsed in 2018, is nearing completion despite a the onset of the coronavirus crisis that has gripped the country.

The New York Times reports the new bridge is designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, whose firm donated its expertise to help bring the project to life.

View of the collapsed bridge.

In February, Archinect reported that work on the bridge had been progressing at a steady rate following a June 2019 construction start.

The original bridge was built in the 1960s and collapsed due to years of neglected maintenance and other structural issues. Marco Bucci, mayor of Genoa, tells The New York Times, “Renzo Piano said the bridge should last 1,000 years,” adding, “There’s no reason it shouldn’t.” The project was quickly brought to life due to extraordinary administrative powers that were granted to Bucci as part of an effort to realize the replacement as quickly as possible.

Major structural work on the 3,500-fo...

Construction of Renzo Piano-designed Genoa Bridge reaches milestone

2020-02-19T15:01:00-05:00

The last of the 18 piers that will support the new Genoa bridge in Italy has been completed less than eight months after construction of the first foundations began. [...] Ten of the sections of the deck that will rest on the piers have been installed so far; the current deck length of 550m is more than half of its eventual 1,067m length.

43 people were killed and 14 more injured on August 14, 2018 when the nearly mile-long Morandi highway bridge in Genoa partially collapsed. Architect Renzo Piano, a Genoa native, was commissioned to design the 1,067-meter replacement bridge, and construction work started in June 2019.

The 18 bridge piers each rise 40 meters (131 feet) high, with their foundations sunk 50 meters (164 feet) underground. Workers will now continue to raise the remaining bridge spans.

Video via Salini Impregilo's YouTube channel.

"Above ground, they all measure 9.50 metres by 4.0 metres in order to guarantee a uniform perspective to the structure as well as to quicken the pace of its construction with the use of the same type of external formwork for every pier," explains a statement released by Salini Impregilo, the contractor building the bridge together with Fincantieri as the joint venture, PerGenova. "The piers are elliptical in shape, allowing the light to slide off the surface and soften the visu...

FIU bridge collapse tied to flawed design and minimal project oversight

2019-10-24T12:24:00-04:00

The National Transportation Safety Board members that have been investigating a March 15, 2018 bridge collapse at Florida International University have concluded that the design firm FIGG Bridge Engineers, Inc. responsible for the project underestimated the loads created by the bridge's concrete structural system and overestimated the strength of their designs along a critical section that had shown signs of splintering, NBC News reports.

The bridge was, according to previous reports, designed under the Accelerated Bridge Construction (ABC) method that utilizes prefabricated components, a key reason the bridge was built out of concrete and not steel as is more often the case for similar spans.

Prior to the bridge's deadly collapse, investigators found that contractors had discovered large cracks 40-times larger than what is normally accepted for this type of application in a concrete section of the bridge. Despite the cracking, no one involved the project made an attempt to close th...

Genoa blows up remaining Morandi Bridge to make way for Renzo Piano's replacement

2019-06-28T14:10:00-04:00

Morandi Bridge in the Italian city of Genoa has been demolished almost a year after its partial collapse killed 43 people. Thousands of residents were evacuated before the operation, which was over within eight seconds. Water was sprayed over the scene to reduce the dust produced by the blast.

The partial collapse of Genoa's nearly mile-long Morandi highway bridge on August 14, 2018 killed 43 people trying to cross the bridge at the time. A controlled explosion brought down the last two pillars this morning while the rest of the old bridge is being removed.

Construction on the Renzo Piano-designed replacement bridge reportedly started this week as well.

Rendering of the replacement bridge. Image: Renzo Piano Building Workshop.

Watch the video of the dramatic controlled explosion below.

An investigation into the Genoa Bridge Collapse

2018-09-10T16:50:00-04:00

The collapse of the bridge — a signature of the port city, a source of deep civic pride, and an indispensable daily transportation link for thousands — has scarred Genoa and set off a bitter debate in Italy about who bears responsibility for the disaster and precisely what caused it. Those questions remain under investigation by the chief magistrate of the region, Francesco Cozzi, and a team of engineers, security and government officials.

The New York Times retraces in detail what led to last month's tragic collapse of the Genoa Bridge in Italy that killed 43 people.

Renzo Piano offers design to replace collapsed Genoa bridge

2018-08-29T16:07:00-04:00

Renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano has offered to help design a new Genoa bridge to replace the one that collapsed, killing 43 people. A native of the city, Piano was already involved in redesigning a 2km (1.2-mile) stretch of its waterfront. Regional governor Giovanni Toti said: "We have gladly accepted the help, and he's already made some proposals."

The BBC writes that Piano reportedly "provided sketches to Genoa officials, showing the road sitting on pillars that each resembled the prow of a ship. The other main feature would be 43 very tall posts illuminating the bridge at night in the shape of sails - one for each victim of the disaster."

View of the Ponte Morandi highway bridge in Genoa, which partially collapsed on August 14, killing 43 and injuring 14 people. Photo: Salvatore Fabbrizio/Wikipedia.

Motorway bridge collapses over houses and buildings in Italy, leaving 20 dead

2018-08-14T16:29:00-04:00

A motorway bridge, running above houses, streets and railroad tracks in the center of Genoa, Italy, collapsed this morning dropping dozens of vehicles and leaving at least 35 dead and many more injured. Operations remain underway to clear the rubble as at least 30 vehicles sit trapped. Rescuers warn that the death toll may continue to rise as they pick through the debris.

"The collapse of Ponte Morandi is an immense tragedy for our city," said Genoa Mayor Marco Bucci, who told CCN that the collapse "was not absolutely unexpected." Deputy transport minister Edoardo Rixi also confirmed that the bridge had shown "signs of problems" in the past.

Constructed in the 1960s, when many of the country's viaducts, galleries and other infrastructure projects were built, the Ponte Morandi bridge was beginning to show its age. A cable-stayed bridge, the design featured two pretensioned concrete cables used on both sides of the pillar. Subject to corrosion, it may have made the bridge, which re...