Genoa (Italy) (AFP)

A little more than a year after the collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa that left 43 dead, a 50-meter section of the new viaduct designed by Renzo Piano was laid Tuesday, "symbol of rebirth" of a city bruised .

A portion of about 1.2 kilometers of this viaduct spanning the port city collapsed on August 14, 2018 for a reason still undetermined.

Two investigations into the tragedy are continuing, but according to the 5-member Movement (M5S) member of the ruling alliance, the disaster is due to negligence in the maintenance of the bridge committed by his manager, a subsidiary of Atlantia group (Benetton family ), the first motorway concessionaire in Italy.

In parallel, "a procedure is under way to make the concession null and void," confirmed Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who came to install the first section of the new bridge. Comments that dropped the stock market Atlantia (up to -3.5% during the session).

It was at the sound of sirens that began at 10:11 local (09H11 GMT) operations, when two giant cranes have deposited a platform of 550 tons on the new piles 5 and 6 of the bridge. Once completed, the structure will be 1,067 meters long.

"Genoa is the symbol of a renaissance. (...) This renaissance is taking shape thanks to the team spirit between public and private that can offer great things to the country," said the chief of the government.

The construction of the new viaduct, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2019 for commissioning in April 2020, has been awarded to the consortium "PerGenova" ("For Genoa"), the alliance of Italy's leading construction company Salini Impregilo, and the engineering subsidiary of the Fincantieri naval group.

- 43 light antennas -

White and contoured, it will have the shape of the hull of a boat and will be surmounted by 43 light antennas, the number of dead - including three children - in the Morandi Bridge disaster.

"The victims stay with you, the displaced (hundreds of dislodged inhabitants, ed) remain with you" but it is "a moment of redemption," said the architect, interviewed by AFP TV.

For Renzo Piano, whose hometown it is, "Genoa is a strong city, a resilient city in every sense of the word, beautiful and proud, it keeps its head high".

He also praised the work of "the army of workers and technicians" mobilized for this "acrobatic" work: "on this site, everything is extraordinary, demolitions to the reconstruction Have you seen these two cranes? carry up to 600 tonnes each ".

In total, the bridge will consist of 19 platforms 26 meters wide: 14 of 50 meters long as the one put on Tuesday, 3 of 100 meters long which will be in the center of the bridge, and 2 of 67 meters.

According to Nicola Meistro, the boss of the Pergenova consortium, "the bridge is built with the best monitoring technologies, dynamic and structural, with continuous controls planned during the construction phase and later when it will be in service". It is equipped with lateral robots for basic maintenance and cameras to continuously inspect the structure.

"From today, the Gênois and tourists will see a first portion of the bridge that will continue to grow to connect the two ends of the valley", welcomed in a speech the Mayor of Genoa, Marco Bucci .

In his eyes, the reconstruction of the bridge does not only symbolize resilience after the tragedy. It is also "the demonstration, that together we can do beautiful things, ambitious and in the appropriate time".

The mayor recalled the glorious past of maritime exploration of the Republic of Genoa (from the 11th to the 18th century). "This is a great signal because wealth has come to us by sea and sea," he said.

This bridge, located on the route of the motorway linking Italy and France, is strategic for trade, tourism and traffic in this great port city.

© 2019 AFP