Trento and Brescia Start Construction of New Riva-Limone Tunnel
By February 25th, construction work will commence on the new tunnel connecting Riva del Garda to Limone. By July, it will be possible to pass through the brand new tunnel. This decision was made by the executive committee of the Provincia autonoma di Trento, which allocated 75 billion euros for this project, with 28 billion reserved for the most urgent works and the rest for finishing touches.
“This measure,” stated the provincial president of Trentino Lorenzo Dellai, “further confirms the efficiency of the relevant provincial services, which have once again demonstrated a strong operational capacity in dealing with an emergency situation.” The executive project has been approved by the Conference of Services, which also includes the Province of Brescia.
Construction procedures and timeline
“The gallery,” said the Brescia Province Public Works assessor, Mauro Parolini, “will be excavated from three fronts: a central one and two at the tunnel’s extremities. The work will be completed in 150 days, with 20 days needed to set up the construction sites.” Progress will be made into the mountain at a rate of 21 meters per day, with seven meters on each of the three open fronts.
Every day, 1,600 cubic meters of rock will be excavated. The new road will have a width of 9 meters and 90 centimeters, equipped with three safety tunnels that will connect to the current route of the 45 bis. The first phase of the work will conclude by July 30th.
Final stages and transit limitations
“At that point,” concluded the public works assessor Parolini, “the roadway will be paved and open to traffic in both directions, and provisional lighting and ventilation systems will be activated.” Conversely, there are no plans for a partial or full opening of the Western Gardesana segment affected by the landslide from two months ago.
Only vehicles involved in the construction of the new tunnel will be allowed on the coastal road. The decontamination works of the unstable rocky walls — which threaten the coastal road from above — for which the Provincia autonoma di Trento has allocated four billion euros, are exclusively aimed at ensuring basic safety for trucks transporting excavation debris through a service tunnel approximately 150 meters long, from where the material will be transported to loading sites.
In other words, allowing cars, buses, and other vehicles to pass through that area remains too dangerous, at least until the new tunnel is completed. Luca Belligoli