MILAN, July 9, 2020 – Nearly 330 companies - medium- and especially small-sized - from across Italy provided more than €160 million in supplies and services for the construction of Genoa’s new bridge. It is a figure that represents nearly 80% of the value of the project, highlighting the contribution made by Italy’s supply and production chain, which was coordinated by the Webuild Group and Fincantieri under a virtuous model that made the most of the capabilities of a sector in deep crisis. Under Progetto Italia (Project Italy), Webuild is working to consolidate and revive this sector.

The level of excellence displayed by these companies represents the best of what “Made in Italy” has produced in the world of infrastructure. It is something that Webuild plans to strengthen and make more competitive in Italy and abroad.

The construction of the bridge of records, which is approaching its conclusion about a year since the first pouring of concrete, allowed hundreds of contractors and subcontractors to apply their highly specialised skills to one of the most iconic projects in Italy. From the excavation work for the bridge’s foundations to the transport of deck spans reaching 100 metres in length along the roads of Genova, from the construction of sophisticated light posts to the development and installation of solar panels, there are more than 40 trades working together under Webuild’s supervision. In Genoa, the Group applied a fast-track model that had many workstations operate in parallel throughout the construction site. It managed every one of them in an efficient and integrated way. In the final phase of the construction of the bridge ahead of the inauguration, some 40 teams with a total of more than 200 people are working on the bridge.

Companies from Genoa and Liguria were among those from northern Italy that took part in the project, much like others from southern Italy, such as Faver of Bari, which built the 18 light posts. Each 28 metres in height, they will illuminate the infrastructure in a scenic context, becoming a key feature of the bridge. Among the suppliers there was Acciaierie Valbruna, an Italian excellence in the production of specialised steel since 1925. Bosco Italia is installing safety barriers as well as solar panels that will make the bridge energy self-sufficient. Akron and Geoinvest were the specialists in geophysics that performed the geological tests, while Drafinsub inspected and cleared any unexploded ordnances from previous wars that might have been found buried at the site, as is done at any construction site. At the Politecnico di Milano university, the bridge’s structure was tested in its wind tunnels.