An Italian company that helped rebuild a collapsed bridge in Genoa, Italy, in 2018 says it is ready to do the same in Baltimore.
An Italian company that helped rebuild a bridge that collapsed in Genoa, Italy, in 2018 says it is ready to do the same in Baltimore.
Webild Group on Friday sent preliminary designs and plans for the Francis Scott Key Bridge reconstruction to Maryland officials. The company said the cable-stayed bridge aims to improve several functional aspects such as safety, adaptability and sustainability.
Officials said the bridge will be built with the future of the maritime industry in mind, allowing even larger ships to enter the Port of Baltimore, but the bridge design will be safer.
The Port of Baltimore has been operating at limited capacity since early March 26, when the cargo ship Dali crashed into a support on the Key Bridge, destroying the 47-year-old structure that spans the Patapsco River. river. The bridge collapsed within minutes, killing eight maintenance workers who were working on the bridge and making repairs.
Under the plan, ships up to 213 feet tall would be able to pass under the bridge from a height of 185 feet above the now-demolished Key Bridge. The span of the bridge will also be increased to 2,300 feet, and the main tower will be placed in shallower water and moved away from the navigation channel.
The preliminary proposal was drafted in collaboration with architect Carlo Ratti, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, and French structural engineer Michel Villerojeux.
“Choosing a cable-stayed solution allows us to place the piles at a safe distance, far enough away from the shipping lanes used by large vessels, thereby preventing the risk of a tragedy like the one on March 26 happening again. ” said the MIT professor. Carlo Ratti said.
“This approach also provides a lightweight solution for reconnecting both the social and economic aspects of Baltimore – what America’s infrastructure should be about in the 21st century.”
WeBuild said it has submitted a proposal to the relevant authorities regarding the design and plan for the reconstruction of the bridge, which was created as a sign of solidarity and friendship with the United States.
“We at Webbuild and our US subsidiary Lane are ready to do everything in our power to quickly repair this strategic bridge for regional mobility,” said Pietro Webbuild, CEO of Webbuild. Salini said in a letter sent with the project to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation and the Governor of Maryland. , Director of the Maryland Port Authority and U.S. Ambassador to Italy.
“We plan to participate in the Maryland State Transportation Authority (MDTA) Virtual Industry Forum for Bridge Reconstruction on May 7th, and in the spirit of pro bono, we will do whatever we can at this time. We stand ready to assist in the form of ‘services,”’ Salini said.
Webbuild’s proposal also calls for adding one lane in each direction, widening emergency lanes and widening the roadway to accommodate increased traffic on the bridge.
New smart features and safer traffic management will also be utilized, along with the use of predictive maintenance technology. Webbuild said it plans to propose the use of more sustainable materials to protect the Patapsco River ecosystem.
Maryland officials plan to issue a formal invitation to the engineering firm this month to work on the project, which could cost up to $1.9 billion and last about four years, with the new bridge expected to be fully completed by fall 2028. I hope it gets built.
Port officials said they plan to remove the bridge debris and shipwreck from the channel by late May.
Webuild previously built a replacement bridge for Genoa’s Ponte Morandi Bridge, and said it was successful in replacing the collapsed bridge in a short period of time. The Pont San Giorgio was designed by renowned Italian architect Renzo Piano and opened in 2020 after just over a year of construction.
Webuild said it is ready to move quickly on this project.
“The bridge design concepts we have been working on relentlessly for the past month will be an important contribution towards bridge design and reconstruction or new construction,” Salini said.
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