At an inauguration ceremony for the newly completed San Giorgio Viaduct on Monday, the architect Renzo Piano spoke of the “intense emotion” of designing a bridge that is the “son of a tragedy that cannot be forgotten”.

The new steel and concrete bridge is supported on 18 piers and has a deck that is designed to resemble the hull of a ship. Its predecessor saw a 200m length collapse on 14 August 2018, claiming 43 lives.

Renzo Piano told an audience at the site: “We are suspended, all of us, between the mourning of that tragedy and the pride of having the bridge rebuilt.”

He described the new structure as resembling “a ship – a large white vessel that crosses the valley” and his wish for the new bridge “to be loved” and to “quickly become part of people’s everyday existence”.

The new viaduct’s design and build consortium PerGenova’s chief executive Nicola Maistro said: “From a certain point of view we never wanted to be here: it is impossible to forget the tragedy of the collapse. But we are proud to have made our contribution to such an important work for Genoa and Italy.

“Our country has an old and inadequate infrastructure network that needs to be modernised, secured and enlarged. The experience of the San Giorgio viaduct shows that with the right spirit things can be done quickly and well.”

Project management consultant Rina said that ongoing structural monitoring will ensure the sustainability and safety of the new crossing. Its chief executive Ugo Salerno acknowledged that “it seems incredible to think that just 596 days have passed since the start of activities”.

He added: “Rapid construction is not a question of skipping procedural steps or paying less attention, but rather of planning each and every activity in detail to overcome the inevitable unforeseen events and get immediate and effective response from all those involved.”

Photograph: Ph. Shunji Ishida / Renzo Piano Building Workshop