Traffic starts travelling across Genoa bridge again

Two years after the devastating collapse of Genoa's Morandi Bridge which killed 43 people, a replacement crossing opened to traffic late on Tuesday.

The new San Giorgio Bridge was lit up with the Italian Tricolore as the first drivers used it to cross over the Polcevera river.

The old bridge collapsed in August 2018 during a violent rainstorm, sending vehicles plunging to the dry riverbed below.

The new crossing — a key artery for the northwestern Italian port city — has 43 lamps in memory of the victims of the tragedy.

It was inaugurated by Italy's President Sergio Mattarella on Monday, but the ceremony was boycotted by the families of the dead.

They're upset that the company that operated the old bridge will run the new bridge too, at least for a while - even though poor maintenance is being investigated as a possible cause of the disaster.