Valeggio Develops Infrastructure and Zones to Boost Local Business
Interventions and Projects for Territorial Development in Valeggio
Affordable production zones and more roads to serve them. This was the recipe agreed upon by Fausto Sachetto, the mayor, and Aiv (Associazione Imprenditori del Comprensorio Villafranchese – Business Owners Association of the Villafranca District) during the discussion-event titled «Valeggio: Perspectives of Territorial Development», held Wednesday evening at Palazzo Guarienti in front of a few dozen people, mostly artisans.
In his introductory speech, Sachetto highlighted the commitment of the Municipal Administration on both fronts, through the creation of an artisan and industrial zone and the construction of the ring road. The planned intervention by Stefano Simeoni, one of the designers of the bypass and an expert in local traffic, was instrumental in understanding which projects are nearing completion and which ones need to wait or are still far from realization.
Infrastructure and Connectivity Projects
Among the first is the ring road, on which Simeoni estimates around 2,400 vehicles will pass daily—one-tenth of those traveling on the statal road 11. Others include the relocation of the motorway exit at Castelnuovo, which could be tendered in 2002-2003 (excluding the bypass that would allow those arriving from Valeggio to reach the roundabout for Affi without passing through Castelnuovo), and the construction of certain segments of the road designed to divert traffic from the statal road 11.
There is also the project to connect Valeggio to the Autostrada del Brennero and another aimed at relieving the historic center from east-west traffic, by linking the bypass with the road to Monzambano (passing near Parco Sigurtà), and crossing the Mincio with a bridge to reach the road to Cavriana, bypassing the Borghetto hill.
This last intervention would significantly impact an area of notable landscape value, but this time the mayor hopes to find a strong ally in the Soprintendenza: «While for preserving the walls of the Serraglio, thanks also to the errors of the British archaeologist Hudson, who claimed not to have found them, a decision was made to clean, photograph, and bury it—a move that will require bringing 70,000 cubic meters of gravel back there—regarding the Mincio bridge, the Soprintendenza is aware that this is the only way to save the Visconti bridge, and we will leverage this to prompt the Province».
Opinions and Expectations of the Business Association
From Aiv President, Italo Martinelli, came praise for the initiatives of the Administration: «Here, companies have purchased land at preferential prices, whereas in Villafranca there is no longer a single available meter». But much remains to be done: «The public», added Martinelli, «must create conditions for better production, and entrepreneurs from various sectors need to collaborate because it’s unfair to say a territory has a single vocation (tourism, industry, etc.).
Besides regular roads, digital routes are also needed: covering the single-window service points for businesses that all administrations trumpet about but none have yet implemented.»