ROME — The construction of a new bridge to replace the viaduct that collapsed in Genoa last summer, killing 43 people, will be overseen by a native son of the city.

The authorities announced on Tuesday that they had chosen a design by the architect Renzo Piano for the bridge, which connects the western and eastern sections of the city and provides a critical link in the route to southern France.

Mr. Piano, who said he was deeply affected by the collapse of the Morandi Bridge, began working on a design for its replacement shortly after it fell in August. He said that he was donating his services as “an act of civic duty” and that he would also supervise the project.

Resembling the shape of a ship’s bow, the 202-million-euro ($230-million) bridge will be a joint venture by three Italian companies. The state railway subsidiary, Italferr, will handle the engineering, with construction done by a major Italian company, Salini Impregilo, and the infrastructure subsidiary of the state-run shipbuilder Fincantieri.

The government decided to exclude Autostrade per l’Italia, the bridge operator, which it blames for the collapse of the Morandi Bridge.

Mr. Piano said he sought to make the replacement bridge as “sober” as the city of Genoa, and as “slender” as the original structure, which was designed by the engineer Riccardo Morandi, who was renowned for his artistry.

The deck of the new bridge will be more than a kilometer long and illuminated by 43 lamps casting a light shaped like ships’ sails, one for each victim of the collapse. It will be made of steel, not the concrete used in the Morandi Bridge. The three A-frames that were the signature of Mr. Morandi’s bridge will not be replicated.

Italian magistrates investigating the collapse of the original structure, inaugurated in 1967, have been examining the role of poor maintenance or design flaws. One hypothesis is that the bridge collapsed after cables in its southern stay broke, causing the stays to fail and sections of the road to fall — taking cars and trucks down with them.

A trial against the bridge operator is expected to start next year.

Autostrade per l’Italia, the bridge operator, has spoken of “external causes” like the action of winds, pollution and the weather. In a statement, the company said a failure in the stays was not the primary cause of the collapse.

The new bridge should be completed by the end of 2019, Mayor Marco Bucci said Tuesday, although it may not be immediately accessible to motorists.

“Twelve months to help relaunch Genoa,” Pietro Salini, chief executive of Salini Impregilo, said in a statement.

Despite predictions of a speedy reconstruction, practical hurdles remain.

Because of the investigation into the Morandi collapse, prosecutors have not yet allowed access to the remains of the collapsed tower at the eastern end. The demolition of the western end must still be done as well.

Salini Impregilo is also building the Unionport Bridge in New York and the second bridge over the Bosporus. The company has collaborated with Mr. Piano before to build concert halls in Italy and abroad, though not bridges.

Mr. Salini said he also hoped to send a strong message to the entire country.

“Public works can kick-start the economy and start to create jobs again,” he said.

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