Province Demands Urgent Repairs for Water-Leaking Underpass Safety
The Province has officially warned Ferrovie dello Stato to resolve, once and for all, the problems of the railway underpass, whose containment walls have never ceased to exhibit water leaks. The letter was sent in recent days by the technical staff from the road sector of the Authority, and it was also forwarded, for awareness, to the Castelnuovo municipal government.
Problems of the underpass and interventions
The structure was built to make traffic flow more smoothly and reduce risks on what is the main road connecting with Valeggio and part of the town’s industrial area. Its construction faced numerous issues, sparking as many controversies among the local population, which took to the streets multiple times to protest against the delays of a project that nearly doubled the scheduled completion time.
Concerns regarding the success of the intervention and worries about its safety persisted even after the underpass was opened to traffic, due to water leakage from the side concrete walls. So much so that a few months after opening, in March 1998, the structure was again closed—albeit partially and with alternating one-way traffic—to undertake further work aimed specifically at fixing the water leak problem.
Current situation and risks
An ongoing issue, as demonstrated by the consistent formation during winter months of a layer of ice along the straight section, dragged by passing vehicles: signs warning of possible ice and speed limits are not sufficient to eliminate risks for drivers, nor are temporary measures such as spreading salt on the coldest days.
Moreover, the measures implemented so far, such as the so-called iron plugs inserted to block leaks, proved ineffective because water always found, so to speak, new outlets.
Ownership and actions of the public administration
The road affected by the underpass is owned by the Province, while the construction work was contracted out and monitored by the Ferrovie. The municipality, represented by Mayor Ferdinando Emanuelli (pictured), has always acted to protect citizens’ interests, and this occasion was no different: in response to the Authority’s document, another was issued in which the Municipal Administration demands, within a very short time frame, that the FS technical manager develop a plan to upgrade the underpass.
This serves as a sort of ultimatum, but it is also the only way to prevent the drastic intervention by the Province, which is ready to close this road that also hosts several commercial activities. These had already been penalized by delays and inefficiencies related to the execution of the underpass, prompting residents to take to the streets to voice their protests.
Community sentiments
Such a scenario is one that no one in Castelnuovo would want to see repeated.