About the author  ⁄ David Lattanzi, Ph. D., P. E.

David Lattanzi, Ph. D., P. E., is an associate professor of civil engineering at George Mason University. A former bridge engineer, he studies how to integrate robotics and artificial intelligence into civil infrastructure systems. He is the current chair of the SEI Bridge Technical Administrative Committee.

The 2018 collapse of the Morandi Bridge was international news. Completed in 1967, the bridge carried the A10 motorway over the Polcevera Valley in Genoa, Italy. The dramatic collapse and deaths of 43 people shocked Europe, particularly an Italian engineering community that prides itself on a long legacy of engineering excellence. Many theories have been put forward regarding the cause of the collapse, ranging from very human lapses in maintenance and judgment to a lightning strike on a primary cable stay. As of this writing, the cause of the collapse is still under investigation. But this isn’t a story about the Morandi Bridge collapse. It’s the story of what came next.

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