The Italian contractor company Webuild has issued a proposal to reconstruct the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which collapsed on the 26th of March after it got hit by a container ship that was cruising below it.
According to the proposal that was issued by Webuild, the bridge had a clearance of 65 meters, a span of 700 meters, and also pylons that had been placed in the shallow water, which is quite a distance away from the navigation channel. The proposed bridge by this Italian company is also set to have an additional (extra) two lanes for cars and wider emergency lanes.
Designers of the Proposed Francis Scott Key Bridge Bridge Project
The design of this proposed Baltimore Bridge was drafted by the MIT professor Carlo Ratti and Michel Virlogeux who is a French structural engineer.The chief of executive of Webuild, Pietro Salini made a statement that said, “We will be a part of Maryland Transportation Authority’s virtual industry event for the reconstruction project of the collapsed bridge that will be held on the 7th of May. We are very prepared and ready to give assistance in any way as per our capacity at this stage just to foster the spirit of pro bono service.”
“As for now, the concept of the design of the Francis Scott Key Bridge that we have been thoroughly working on in this past one month is set to be a representation of a major contribution on the design and the rebuilding works or new construction of the collapsed Baltimore Bridge.”
Webuild Experience on Replacing Bridges
The Italian company Webuild has vast experience on replacing quite a number of replacing bridges that had collapsed in the previous years. Just to note , the Italian firm constructed the replacement for the Ponte Morandi bridge that is in Genoa, Italy. Moreover, Its San Girgio Bridge design was developed by Renzo Piano and was opened in the year 2020 following construction works that were conducted in a period of more than 12 months. Maryland plans to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in just over four years at an estimated cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion, a state transportation official said Thursday.
The state plans to build a new span by fall of 2028, said David Broughton, a spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Transportation. He said the cost estimate is preliminary, and detailed engineering specifics have not been confirmed. Baltimore’s franscis Scott Key Bridge Collapsed after it was struck by an enormous container ship that lost power while exiting the city’s port. The collision left the stricken Dali container ship stuck under the remnants of the bridge and made entry and exit of the Port o Baltimore nearly impossible. Now, experts have revealed the cost of replacing the damaged bridge, and it’s an eye-watering figure.
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Italy to build world’s longest suspension bridge, design approved
