Councilman calls for safety study on the Sant Jordi Bridge

Following the bridge collapse in Genoa, Italy it has come to light that a report compiled by a municipal architect on the Sant Jordi Bridge in Alcoy has been ignored.

The report submitted in the 1990’s raised issue over carbonation problems in the four pillars at the beginning of the bridge leading from the Alameda road. At the same time, the city architect recommended preventive actions to ensure the bridge’s integrity.

City councilperson Pablo González said: “we should be concerned about the fact that vapours from the Estambrera factory under the bridge may have accelerated the deterioration of the supporting pillars.

With this information in hand, he has called on the national government in Madrid to conduct a study into the safety of the bridge and take measures to ensure that a tragedy like Genoa does not happen in Alcoy.

What is concrete carbonization?

As soon as the concrete is exposed to the air, the process of carbonation can begin: carbon dioxide slowly penetrates the surface of the concrete where it reacts with moisture in the pores and calcium hydroxide (which is one of the compounds in concrete) to form calcium carbonate.