Traffic Concerns on Statale 11: Calls for Better Routing and Development
The last, and perhaps only, traffic volume measurements on the Statale 11 date back to 1995. During that period, the members of the civic committee formed specifically to address the traffic congestion suffocating the frazione of Cavalcaselle implemented a direct monitoring system at two points: località Confine and Castelnuovo.
Survey Results and Proposals
The analysis at that time confirmed that the number of vehicles passing through this roadway far exceeded the limits recommended by authoritative studies: these, in fact, suggest a maximum recommended capacity for the type of road represented by the Statale 11, under ideal conditions, of 2,000 vehicles per hour.
However, even in 1995, the measurement, conducted in mid-September (far from the peak of the tourist season), indicated that traffic in both directions occasionally reached up to 2,814 vehicles per hour.
The committee members had sent the survey results to the relevant authorities, proposing several necessary interventions to restore a suitable living environment for residents. Among these, they suggested banning heavy vehicles from the stretch of the statale that literally passes through the town center.
New Developments and Intervention Proposals
The recent decision by Società autostradale Serenissima to build a new toll booth at Castelnuovo marks the first step in addressing this complex issue; however, this first step is not convincing to Alessandro Salvelli, a municipal councilor of Castelnuovo, who, in collaboration with the provincial secretariat of the Partito Popolare, is now organizing a conference specifically on the Statale 11 traffic problem.
“We want to create a truly meaningful meeting,” says Salvelli, “where representatives of all the relevant entities will be invited. They must not only acknowledge the problem but also contribute to a credible assessment of it and potential solutions.”
“Everyone has been talking about the new toll booth, but no one considers the consequences of such an important project, such as the potential for creating a new area for large-scale commercial initiatives, which no one seems to want.”
“Furthermore,” continues the councilor, “the toll booth alone will not suffice to eliminate the traffic on the statale, which I believe, instead, requires speeding up the construction of its alternative route; this involves about fifteen kilometers, from Rovizza in the province of Brescia to the territory of the municipality of Sona.”
“We need to quickly address a transportation development issue pertaining to the inland areas of Castelnuovo and Lazise, which was not properly planned. Otherwise, we will continue to deal not only with problems related to prostitution—an issue that would not be as significant if demand were not so high—but also, and more importantly,” concludes Salvelli, “with the many victims of accidents caused by the danger of the current statale, which is also congested by heavy traffic.”