Brescia Province Opens Villanuova Interchange to Improve Garda Traffic

The 45 bis has finally reopened to traffic. At 11:30 a.m. yesterday morning, the President of the Provincia di Brescia Alberto Cavalli cut the ribbon for the Villanuova dual interchange, which will allow drivers to avoid the Tormini bottleneck and reach Salò, northern Garda, Valsabbia, and Desenzano more easily. In reality, it was an inauguration without an official opening. The road was only opened to cars after 2 p.m. due to some paving work that needed to be completed.

In fact, it was closed again shortly afterward, and only after a few hours, passing 5 p.m., did traffic resume. The day of (at least partial) liberation for Garda traffic has arrived, thanks also to the overtime hours worked in recent days that allowed work to stay on schedule, which had been threatened by the trucking strike. But what matters is that, despite a delay that lasted longer than expected (though it could have been much worse), the Villanuova triple interchange of the Statale 45 bis bypass was opened to traffic, allowing drivers to bypass, both toward Salò, Vobarno, and Desenzano, the Tormini crossroads, which from yesterday only serves local traffic.

The inauguration and the works

The busy inauguration ceremony of the new road segment, a project costing 170 billion lire that improves road connections both toward the lake and Valsabbia, took place at the entrance of the Monte Covolo tunnel in the presence of provincial president Cavalli, assessors Mauro Parolini and Ermes Buffoli, numerous mayors from the area, and, naturally, the managers of Anas, the agency responsible for overseeing the project’s completion.

“This is a road that has been desired for decades,” Cavalli told us after cutting the ribbon. “It was a duty for Anas and the State to make this vital interchange available to citizens for the area’s traffic flow.” Cavalli recalls that this result “was achieved also thanks to pressure exerted on Anas by provincial and local administrators. If it had been up to the road agency, the opening might never have happened today and could have been postponed until next year.” It is well known that the artificial tunnel at Monte Covolo still requires completion, especially in a section where travelers currently pass through a narrow stretch.

The project and future plans

“The interchange,” assured the provincial president, who insisted that these works be completed at a later stage, “will no longer be closed. Short traffic suspensions at the narrow section will probably suffice.” The final completion of the bypass is postponed to spring 2001: disruptions will return, but the triple interchange will remain always open.

Yesterday afternoon, concurrently with the interchange opening, the section of the bypass from Gavardo to Villanuova was also reopened. It had been closed for months to allow work to progress, especially in the archaeological zone of Monte Covolo, where excavation work had been paused for a long time. Attention was also given to mitigating environmental impact through the use of walls with visible stones and natural wooden sound barriers.

Reactions and future prospects

There was also satisfaction expressed by the provincial tourism assessor Ermes Buffoli. “This is a significant step,” said Buffoli, “for the tourist development of Garda. Of course, the issue of Benacense traffic is not resolved; problems remain with the Gardesana Occidentale on the upper lake.” As already announced, the Province is actively working to improve some sections of the road between Gargnano and Limone.”

The opening yesterday, delayed by a few hours from the official ceremony, is unlikely to be a cure-all for the long queues that, especially in vacation months, plague local traffic. Brescia’s parliamentary representatives Aldo Rebecchi and Emilio Del Bono noted that continued effort is needed for the Valsabbia section. They also expressed satisfaction that “the state, governed by the center-left, is beginning to function and better serve the interests of citizens.”