Italy will invest about 13,6 billion euros in a multi-year plan to improve road safety following the collapse of the Genoa bridge in 2018, the Italian Ministry of Transport said.

The road operator ASPI, which is becoming public property, will pay the full bill once it signs a contract with the ministry, a ministry spokesman said. The agreement covers a period until 2038, but 2,5 billion euros are earmarked for emergency support, which should be completed by 2024, and another 1,2 billion euros are earmarked for projects in and around Genoa.

ASPI has previously agreed to pay 3,4 billion euros in compensation for the bridge disaster in the northwestern port city.

Three years ago, the Morandi Bridge in Genoa collapsed, killing 43 people, and the state of the national infrastructure was exposed.

Source: MIA