It had a length of 1,182 metres (3,878 ft), a height above the valley of 45 metres (148 ft) at road level, and three reinforced concrete pylons reaching 90 metres (300 ft) in height the maximum span was 210 metres (690 ft). The viaduct was built between 19 by the Società Italiana per Condotte d'Acqua, costing 3.8 billion Italian lire and opened on 4 September 1967. President Giuseppe Saragat at the inauguration, on 4 September 1967 The concrete was prestressed only to 10 MPa (1,500 psi), making it susceptible to cracks, water intrusion, and corrosion of the internal steel. The Ponte Morandi was a cable-stayed bridge characterised by a prestressed concrete structure for the piers, pylons and deck, very few stays, as few as two per span, and a hybrid system for the stays constructed from steel cables with prestressed concrete shells poured on. It was similar to his earlier 1957 design for the General Rafael Urdaneta Bridge in Venezuela, except for the stays, which on the Venezuelan bridge are not covered with prestressed concrete. The bridge was designed by civil engineer Riccardo Morandi. The replacement bridge, the Viadotto Genova-San Giorgio ("Genoa-Saint George Viaduct") was inaugurated in August 2020. The remains of the original bridge were demolished in August 2019.
When a 210-metre (690 ft) section of the viaduct collapsed during a rainstorm on 14 August 2018, 43 people died - leading to a year-long state of emergency in the Liguria region, extensive analysis of the structural failure, and widely varying assignment of responsibility. It also provided a critical artery of European Route E80, linking Italy and France.
It connected Genoa's Sampierdarena and Cornigliano districts across the Polcevera Valley. The bridge was an engineering and architectural landmark since its construction. The bridge was widely called "Ponte Morandi" after its structural designer, noted engineer Riccardo Morandi. Ponte Morandi (English: Morandi Bridge), officially Viadotto Polcevera (English: Polcevera Viaduct), was a road viaduct in Genoa (Italy), constructed between 19 along Italy's A10 motorway over the Polcevera River, from which it derived its official name.