Photo taken on April 28, 2020 shows the new bridge under construction in Genoa, Italy. The final steel span of Genoa's new bridge was raised in the presence of Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Tuesday, Fincantieri, the company that built the bridge, said in a statement. The new structure replaces the Morandi Bridge, a viaduct that collapsed in the northwestern coastal city of Genoa on Aug. 14, 2018, killing 43 people. (Photo by Alberto Lingria/Xinhua)

ROME, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The final steel span of Genoa's new bridge was raised in the presence of Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Tuesday, Fincantieri, the company that built the bridge, said in a statement.

The new structure replaces the Morandi Bridge, a viaduct that collapsed in the northwestern coastal city of Genoa on Aug. 14, 2018, killing 43 people.

"Today we suture a wound ... but we also know this wound can never heal entirely, because there were 43 victims," Conte told a televised press conference.

"This construction site is a symbol not just for Genoa but for Italy as a whole," because it shows Italy's capacity to come together and rise again after a national tragedy, said the prime minister.

"The biggest act of love we owe ourselves and our country is to make a commitment to making a new beginning together, with solidarity and with each doing his or her part," said Conte, in reference to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and ahead of the end of a nationwide lockdown on May 3.

Designed for free by Italian starchitect and Genoa native, Renzo Piano, the new bridge is 1,067 meters long and made up of 17,400 tons of steel, said Fincantieri, the publicly-owned Italian company that built the bridge.

According to the company, the new bridge will be equipped with special sensors that will make the Genoa viaduct the "first smart bridge in Europe."

Best known for its shipbuilding division, Fincantieri has constructed more than 7,000 vessels in its 230-year history. Enditem