Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said the replacement bridge, designed by Renzo Piano, was a "symbol of a new Italy".

Italy opens new Genoa bridge two years after collapse that killed 43

The Morandi motorway bridge collapsed last August, killing 43 people.

Remaining parts of collapsed Italian bridge demolished

A total of 43 people were killed in the disaster in the northern port city.

A huge section of the bridge collapsed on August 14 during a fierce storm, killing 43 people.

Saturday has been declared a national day of mourning in the country.

The search entered a new phase on Friday as heavy equipment removed a large vertical section, clearing a new area to probe.

Rescuers are still searching the rubble after a section of the Morandi Bridge fell.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said all citizens must travel in safety.

When it opened in 1967 the bridge was seen as cutting-edge. 

Dozezns of people were killed when a 260ft stretch of the Morandi Bridge fell in the north-western port city.

Some 20 vehicles plunged into a void after a 200-metre section of the Morandi Bridge collapsed on Tuesday over an industrial zone.