Italy's biggest motorway operator Autostrade Italia "is not in the running" to reconstruct Genoa's Morandi bridge, which collapsed in mid-August killing 43 people and leaving hundreds of families homeless.
"I won't say which company will rebuild the bridge because the (yet-to-be appointed) commissioner will have to study the proposals and choose the one that offers the best guarantees to the people of Genoa for a more beautiful and robust bridge," Conte told reporters.
"But Autostade is not in the running," Conte said. He was speaking at a press conference in Salzburg, Austria, where he is attending an EU summit of heads of state and government.
Autostrade "is involved financially" but its participation in a consortium to rebuild the 51-year-old bridge "it is absolutely out of the question," Conte stated.
The government accuses Autostrade of failing to invest properly in maintaining the bridge, claims which the privately owned company has denied. The government also wants Autostrade to foot the bill for the new bridge.
A Genoa court has been tasked with finding out why a 200 metre section of the bridge came down on 14 August, sending dozens of vehicles plunging 50 metres to the ground below.
Over 600 people were left homeless after the disaster when they were evacuated from apartment buildings beneath the section of the bridge left standing after amid fears this could also collapse.
