MILAN (Reuters) - A tie-up between Atlantia <ATL.MI> and Spanish road-toll operator Abertis is "essentially done", the Italian motorway group's chairman told a newspaper, dismissing worries it could be scrapped after a bridge disaster last month.
A section of the 50-year-old Morandi bridge in the northern city of Genoa collapsed on Aug. 14 sending dozens of cars plunging to the ground and killing 43 people. The bridge is part of a motorway, which is managed by toll-road operator Autostrade, a unit of infrastructure group Atlantia.
"The deal is essentially done. Now it only needs to be developed further," Fabio Cerchiai told Il Messaggero daily in an interview.
Cerchiai added Atlantia would be open to ship builder Fincantieri <FCT.MI> helping rebuild the Genoa bridge.
(Reporting by Agnieszka Flak)
