Ep 1. Morandi Bridge

In the first episode of What Went Wrong: Countdown to Catastrophe, viewers are introduced to the Morandi Bridge in Genoa, Italy, which collapsed on August 14, 2018, killing 43 people. The bridge, built in the 1960s, was a vital transportation artery for the city and its surrounding areas.

Through interviews with engineers, architects, and witnesses to the disaster, the episode focuses on the events that led up to the collapse of the bridge. The Morandi Bridge was known to be in need of repair, but the exact causes of the failure were not clear. Viewers are shown the layers of the bridge and learn about the challenges of maintaining such a massive structure.

The show offers a detailed look at the history of the bridge, its design, and the maintenance work that had been done on it in the years leading up to the disaster. Experts discuss issues with the bridge's design, such as how it was built without expansion joints, which put stress on the structure as temperatures changed. The program highlights several incidents that occurred in the years before the collapse, including concerns about the bridge's condition and a minor collapse in 2017 that resulted in no injuries.

Engineers and architects explain some of the challenges of maintaining a bridge like the Morandi, including the difficulty of assessing the bridge's safety with limited access and the aging infrastructure that needed repair. One expert points out that it is difficult to balance the need for thorough inspections against the inconvenience that closing a major bridge for repairs can cause.

Additionally, the episode addresses the tragic aftermath of the disaster, with footage from the day of the collapse and interviews with those who lost loved ones or were injured. The program explores the impact of the bridge's collapse on the people of Genoa and the subsequent investigation into what went wrong.

What Went Wrong: Countdown to Catastrophe offers a detailed, educational, and eye-opening examination of a significant engineering failure that had tragic consequences. The first episode about the Morandi Bridge lays the groundwork for what viewers can expect from the rest of the series: detailed, expert analysis of complex issues and events that lead to catastrophic outcomes.