Landslide Blocks Gardesana Road: Repair or Tunnel Options Under Review
Thirty meters of highway ended up in the lake. An almost entirely disappeared roadway and the “Gardesana” narrowed in some points by 3-4 meters. Fortunately, after yesterday’s assessments, at least the most important news seems to be confirmed: there are no victims. This is the outcome of the latest incident suffered by the state road 45 bis, between Limone and Riva.
That point is now impassable, making it impossible to reach Trentino. Alternatives include: Valsabbia or the Eastern Gardesana. Or, the boat. The latest landslide occurred from Mount Rocchetta (famous for its endemic botanical species, about which books have been written), located on the left before reaching Riva, when coming up from Salò.
The material that has fallen onto the road and into the lake totals around one thousand cubic meters. However, following the inspection yesterday morning, experts confirmed – from a helicopter observation – that stones and soil that have fallen represent only a small part of what remains on the cliff. The situation is also revealed by a massive boulder of enormous proportions, which – according to witnesses – does not bode well.
Situation and interventions
Ultimately, the real problem appears to be, besides the already fallen landslide, this other geological emergency, which everyone is now aware of. After all, some time ago, a geologist from the Provincia di Trento had foreseen the possibility of events such as what happened the other evening, precisely in the area where the incident occurred.
Yesterday served to assess the current situation. An update was provided in Riva (the stretch of highway is managed by the Provincia di Trento), and another meeting was held at the Limone town hall, attended by local administrators, technicians, and hoteliers.
The problem today resembles, quite literally, that of February 1999: the road closure (this time fortunately without fatalities) caused by two landslides, falling just a few tens of meters apart. Thoughts are already turning toward next spring, aware that months pass quickly, and in addition to transit safety concerns, the needs of Limone come first, along with those of other villages in Western Garda, which rely heavily on tourism for their economy.
At present, it is difficult to gather statements about potential solutions, and the discussions remain tight-lipped, especially regarding the timing for repairing the latest obstacle. The main intervention hypotheses that seem to emerge involve two options, based on considerations of similar situations.
If the decision is made to restore the current road, it would require about one or two months. Alternatively, if a radical solution is preferred – namely, the construction of a new tunnel through the rock to run a section of the road south of Riva toward Limone – the timelines would be significantly extended.
The costs would also involve the funding bodies. Battista Martinelli, mayor of Limone, inspected the landslide site. “Either we repair the collapsed section, protecting it with retaining walls, with an estimated cost between 1 and 2 billion euros, or we consider building a new tunnel of between 800 and 1000 meters.”
In that case, costs could be between 50 and 60 billion euros. More precise estimates can only be provided after official meetings with representatives from the provinces of Trento and Brescia and the Lombardy Region, scheduled for early January. “In Trentino, they’ve experienced half a dozen emergencies on the roads and want to catch their breath. No one here is willing, but we’re committed to involving the Province and Region, even if it means searching for those responsible on ski slopes,” adds Martinelli.
The Provincia di Trento might, in fact, undertake some measures, but it already emerged clearly yesterday that Brescia and Lombardy will be involved to address the issue. “The traffic problem will also be considered by the Comunità del Garda.” assured the newly elected president Giuseppe Mongiello: “We will create a discussion forum, but we don’t want to emphasize the problem excessively to avoid adversely affecting local tourism. Another question: are some of the landslides related to the wildfires from previous years?”