Photo documentation: August 14, 2018 *Update*

- I have added several additional images taken on August 8, 2015,
in addition to the 2007 photographs further down this page.
- Information for media use:
The images below (800 × 600 px) may be used freely,
provided that the author, "Kristian Hasenjäger", is credited
and the watermark "www.retrofutur.org" remains visible.
- I have documented and researched the history of this bridge since 2007.
- For any inquiries, please feel free to email "skyhook@aon.at"
- For high-quality, high-resolution images and video clips, please contact "skyhook@aon.at".
- Click on the gray square icon (next to the orange title immediately above) to view all images on a single page.

Structural peculiarities of the Polcevera Bridge - brief overview:

• A distinctive feature of this bridge (opened in 1967) is the configuration of the three 90 m high A-frame pylons, one of which collapsed on August 14, 2018.
• Each of the three A-frame pylons carries a statically fixed deck segment by means of four cable stays.
• A set of steel stay cables is routed inside the visible concrete stay beams. The cables were prestressed during construction, so that the surrounding concrete stay beam remained under permanent longitudinal compression. This configuration was intended to be less susceptible to oscillations than a configuration with exposed steel stay cables, and to reduce stress in the cables. However, because of their own weight, length and slender cross-section, the stay beams behave more like flexible catenaries than rigid beams.
• Since the 1980s, the bridge has been continuously and thoroughly monitored.
• Preliminary inspections had revealed a concerning situation, manifested by the presence of voids and deterioration in the concrete, especially in the anchorage zones of the prestressed stay cables.
• In particular, the section passing over the highly urbanized area was strengthened from 1993 onward (see dedicated photos below).