A new safe and innovative cable-stayed bridge capable of redefining the entrance to the historic port of the city of Baltimore, a fundamental hub for American logistics. It is the project presented pro bono by Webuild, with its American subsidiary Lane, for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which collapsed last March causing the loss of numerous lives and interrupting a vital connection between the city’s port and the Atlantic Ocean. The group offered the competent authorities a proposal for the design and planning of the reconstruction of the bridge, as a sign of solidarity and closeness to the USA, a country in which Webuild has a historic presence. The preliminary proposal was developed in collaboration with the architect Carlo Ratti, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux.
“As Webuild, with our American subsidiary Lane, we are ready to make ourselves available for a rapid restoration of this strategic bridge for the mobility of the area”, commented Webuild CEO Pietro Salini in a letter sent to the Secretary for the United States Transportation, to the Governor of Maryland, to the Director of the Maryland Port Administration and to the US Ambassador to Italy. “We will participate in the Virtual Industry Forum organized on May 7 by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) for the reconstruction of the bridge, and we are ready to provide, in this first phase, every possible help in a pro bono spirit. The concept design of the bridge on which we have worked incessantly over the last month could represent an important contribution in view of the design and reconstruction or new construction of the work.”
The collapse of the Baltimore Bridge, among the busiest in the area, had a significant impact on regional and global mobility. “We are aware of the importance of this infrastructure from a logistical and commercial point of view, with over 1.4 million people living in the area, plus tens of thousands of commuters directly affected by the bridge collapse,” Salini said. We have already made our skills available on the occasion of the tragic collapse of the Genoa Bridge in Italy in 2018 (built at cost with no profit for the group), which caused the death of 43 people and paralysis of travel in the city and the port , among the most important in Italy”, continued Salini. Webuild built the new Genoa Bridge in about a year, despite the restrictions linked to the Covid-19 pandemic, working 24 hours a day, also thanks to the strong collaboration activated with the institutions and the support of the civil community.
The Webuild proposal for Baltimore includes a cable-stayed bridge that also aims to improve several functional aspects, including safety, adaptability and sustainability. The bridge will be designed to ensure maximum navigation safety, even for the largest ships. For example, a navigable freeway is assumed, the space that a ship can occupy to pass under the bridge, of 213 feet (65 metres), therefore much higher than that of the collapsed bridge, but also the expansion of the span of the bridge, which will have a clear span of approximately 2,300 feet (700 meters), with the main pylons positioned in much shallower water and away from the shipping channel. All of this will allow the Port of Baltimore to remain an important international port for years to come. A wider roadway is also planned, with the increase of one lane in each direction and the widening of the emergency lanes, in response to the increased traffic levels on the bridge. The proposed smart features will enable safer traffic management and predictive maintenance techniques. The use of more sustainable materials is also planned to preserve the Patapsco River ecosystem.
Webuild, with 120 years of experience in over 50 countries around the world, has a long history of success in the construction of bridges and viaducts, with a track record of 1,020 km of works completed in the sector worldwide, including iconic projects such as the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge in California, the “A. Max Brewer” Bridge in Florida, and the Second and Third Bosphorus Bridges in Türkiye. Last year, the Danube Bridge in Braila, built in Romania, was inaugurated, the second longest suspension bridge in continental Europe, with a central span of 1,120 metres. The Group is also leader of the consortium that will build the Bridge over the Strait of Messina, once approved. The project involves the construction of the longest suspension bridge in the world, with a total length of 3,660 meters and a suspended span of 3,300 metres.
The proposal for Baltimore was developed together with Carlo Ratti, co-founder of the CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati design studio, who as part of the Mit Senseable City Lab, with the ‘Good Vibrations’ project, presented innovative studies regarding the structural monitoring of bridges. The collaboration of the French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux will put his experience in some of the most important cable-stayed bridges at the service of the project, including the Vasco da Gama Bridge in Lisbon and the highest bridge in the world, the Millau Viaduct in France. “The choice of a cable-stayed solution allows the pylons to be positioned at a safe distance, well away from the navigation channel used by large ships and thus avoiding the risk of a repetition of a tragedy like that of March 26th. This approach provides an optimal solution for reconnecting the city both socially and economically: what American infrastructure should strive to do in the 21st century,” commented Carlo Ratti, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and founding partner of CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati.
WEBUILD BRIDGES EXPERIENCE https://www.webuildgroup.com/it/aree-di-business/sustainable-mobility/ponti-e-viadotti/
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