Gardesana Tunnel Construction to Complete by July in High Western Garda Area
Gardesana: the start has been announced. It’s now official that, in the high western Garda area, news awaited for several days: construction work on the tunnel beneath Monte Rocchetta (south of Riva) will begin shortly, on February 21. Even more significant is the second news: if no setbacks occur, the project is expected to be completed by this summer (by the end of July). The conditional tense is unavoidable when discussing this troubled Gardesana state road, which over the past two years has experienced repeated landslides, repeatedly endangering the lives of passing drivers (unfortunately, a fatality occurred in 1999).
Confirmation of the work and next steps
The confirmation was made yesterday afternoon during the Services Conference held at the Provincia di Trento, attended by local politicians from Trentino and Brescian officials: Mauro Parolini (Provincial Councillor for Public Works), Battista Martinelli, and Diego Ardigò, mayors of Limone and Tremosine. It was confirmed that the deadline for the completion—in rough form—of the tunnel between Limone and Riva (970 meters long with a width of 9.90 meters) is set within 150 days from the start, meaning toward the end of July this year.
However, the mood appears to be injecting additional optimism, as there are whispers of an even sooner date, which could further reduce waiting times. “It’s fantastic,” comments the enthusiastic mayor of Limone, Battista Martinelli, who remains pragmatic and distinguishes between his role as an administrator and his professional activity (he’s a shopkeeper): “As mayor, I can only be pleased that by July, the road will be passable, and the issue in that part of Gardesana will have been definitively resolved.”
The Services Conference had been preceded earlier in the morning by the decision of the Provincia autonoma di Trento to allocate the 75 billion euros necessary for the construction of the new tunnel, following a request from Provincial Councillor Sergio Casagranda. The procedure followed is based on the «urgent circumstances» approach, which was extensively discussed at the meeting held in Rome on January 30. This solution was supported by the Undersecretary for Public Works, Antonio Bargone.
The Provincia di Trento contacted eight local companies, requesting guarantees for the duration of the work’s execution, meaning they must complete the project within 150 days, ensuring transit in the meantime. The cost for this initial phase, which aims to ready the tunnel for vehicle passage, is 28 billion. The contract will be awarded next week.
Another 45 billion will be needed for finishing works, which will be carried out afterward through a standard procurement process. The authorities in Trento have estimated that, with work proceeding on three fronts simultaneously, the tunnel could advance by 21 meters per day. This suggests that doubts—originally expressed by former Mayor of Limone, Guido Tosi, who was concerned during last week’s economic operators’ meeting about the feasibility of completing the tunnel in such a short time—may be unfounded.
Supporting this view, Paolo Elena, mayor of Toscolano Maderno, stated that with current techniques, the execution timeframe can be respected. Technically, there should be no major issues, as surveys of the rock have already been conducted, and the geological conditions appear similar to those encountered during the construction of another tunnel in recent years: the one connecting north Riva to Lake Ledro.
Additional close appointments regarding Gardesana are scheduled for this weekend, when experts from Brescia and Trentino will examine the Rocchetta landslide area (Saturday and Monday, from the lake and from above). In March, they will determine whether the old State Road will be passable after safety interventions, carried out simultaneously with the new tunnel’s construction.
And what about the prospects for the Brescia section of Gardesana? “Between Anas, Lombardy Region, and Province of Brescia, we have approximately sixty billion euros available between this year and the next,” explains Mauro Parolini. “We will use these for interventions south of Limone.” More generally, Parolini emphasizes, a thorough safety upgrade of the Brescia section of Gardesana will require no less than 300 billion euros.
A first reaction to these updates will take place tomorrow evening during the special City Council meeting at the Palacongressi of Limone at 8:30 pm.