Lake Garda Road Crisis: Urgent Repairs and Future Solutions Needed
“A disaster,” comments engineer Paolo Elena, mayor of Toscolano Maderno.
Aside from the initiative of the one-kilometer, 250-meter-long gallery that the Provincia di Trento has decided to construct, several billion euros are needed to repair the stretch of road destroyed in recent days.
The two projects must proceed in parallel. It is not possible to leave Limone and the upper-middle lake without connections to Riva.
Traffic issues and solutions
In recent weeks, with the closure to the south of Limone, motorists had the option to venture into the hills, passing through Voltino and Tremosine. Now, with the landslide to the north, that alternative no longer exists.
“We are truly all in trouble: Tignale, Gargnano, Toscolano Maderno,” continues Elena.
“I just spoke with Limone mayor Battista Martinelli to coordinate a joint action. Some of our colleagues are on vacation. We are waiting for them to return, then we will act together.”
“We plan to meet with representatives from Trento to convince them to adopt our positions. We also need to acknowledge that Gardesana is worn out.”
Future projects and road criticalities
“It is necessary to break the impasse,” continues Mayor Elena, “and look to the future.”
“The 75-billion-euro tunnel under Rocchetta (and, hopefully, a quicker solution for the existing route) does not definitively resolve the issue. Because in Brescia territory, the situation remains at risk.”
“We are very worried,” affirms Paolo Rossi, president of Brescia hoteliers and co-owner of the Laurin Hotel in Salò.
“The 45 bis is the backbone of our economy. 80 percent of the clientele arriving on the mid-lake come from Riva.”
“With the latest closure, we risk compromising several seasons. And alarm calls might have significant resonance in newspapers beyond the Alps, with travel agencies ready to redirect tourists elsewhere.”
“No, Trentino cannot keep Gardesana blocked until 2002. They must guarantee passage; otherwise, this time Limone… will truly fall into the lake.”
“With serious negative repercussions on tourism. As an association, have you identified a line to follow?”
“No, for now, no strategy. Still, I reaffirm that the only solution is to build the Pedemontana, in a framing.”
“An idea from many years ago, still valid. The current road, as the designer Riccardo Cozzaglio repeated, is built on a perfect balance and must not be touched.”
“It would be like walking on glass. I believe a major artery can be built, respecting the territory.”
Critical issues and proposals for the future
“Beyond the long construction times,” concludes Rossi, “even the tunnel proposed by the Provincia autonoma di Trento will not solve the problems.”
“Because the 45 bis is too fragile. The visible consolidations and continuous patch-ups have damaged it. So, we must accept ongoing interruptions—one day yes, the next no. We are very angry.”
“The sack must be taken at the top, once and for all,” emphasizes the president of hoteliers.
“And think about a Gardesana on the half-slope, transforming the current one into a garden-park, a sort of museum to be traveled leisurely, adding value to tourism.”
“Continuing like this is not possible. Everyone agrees. The traffic on the upper-middle lake has become a sieve. Urgent intervention is needed.”
Limone paid the price in February ’99, when a pensioner died. But now it is again isolated.
In two weeks, Toscolano Maderno had to clear two landslides—one to the south, another to the north of the town. Fortunately, at those moments, no automobiles were passing through.
Concerns are increasing, alongside protests and complaints. Truly a precarious situation.