Proposed Ponale Changes: Tunnel Construction and Route Abandonment

The old Ponale is likely destined to die in order to be reborn in a certain way from its ashes. This was stated yesterday by the assessor Iva Berasi to Fabrizio Di Stasio, summoned in Trento as a representative of the Giacomo Cis association. The politicians still know nothing: they still have to wait a little longer.

Thus, the project begins with the Castelli report. According to the geologist, the first 700 meters, from the entrance to the Ponale valley, cannot be defended in any way. Therefore, the province has chosen to build a tunnel for the Gardesana Occidentale from Riva, extending up to the areas near Trota’s house.

Two hypotheses have been proposed for the Ponale. The first involves widening the tunnel to include a bike path and then ascending with some switchbacks on the left side of the stream up to the old road beyond Sperone, in a section deemed safe. From there, the route continues to the old Pregasina bridge, crossing and ascending towards Biacesa along the trail on the right side of the stream. Estimated cost: 30 billion euros.

Alternatively, the province plans to completely abolish the old Ponale, which will no longer exist: neither as a bike path, shipwreck, nor forest route. It will simply disappear, with no further maintenance, now or ever, just like the entire mountain slope once diverted into the tunnel with the highway beneath.

According to the legal office, with a small wall at the start and the definitive abandonment, there should no longer be any liability in case someone, passing by as they would in any forest, gets hit on the head by a falling rock. A few legal checks are still pending.

Then Iva Berasi will come to Riva to explain the prospects to the mayor and the assessors.