Gardes and Incidents at Gardesana Occidentale Construction Site
More than a construction site, the one on the Gardesana Occidentale will resemble a fortress. To fend off the assaults of tourists and curious visitors, in fact, the companies Collini and Oberosler have been forced to hire security guards (from Trento), who went into service last night.
They hired the guards to continue working peacefully and to safeguard the safety of the workers at the construction entrance. Because, on one hand, many tourists (mostly Germans) are convinced by the “validity” of the ban and turn back, on the other hand, some – like what happened last Sunday – are so irritated by the forced stop that they become even violent.
Protections and Incidents
The managers of the two companies, united to complete the colossal project in record time, must have surely considered the high regard Germans have for anyone wearing a uniform and immediately found the solution: armed guards on duty at the site entrance seven days a week.
The over seventy workers involved in the construction can then dedicate themselves exclusively to their work, without the fear of suddenly being surprised by a cyclist behind the eskavate. Just three days ago, as mentioned, a small group of cyclists heavily threatened the worker on duty at the entrance, practically forcing him to barricade himself inside the fence.
Last year, just to recall another incident, a group of bikers had little hesitation before assaulting a staff member of the Provincial traffic service working in front of the first Ponale tunnel. The poor man had only been doing his duty, trying to convince them to turn back, but was pushed and then slapped.
Current Situation and Discomfort
Since last night, in short, the situation has changed. Having resolved the issue of intrusive and rude tourists, the only remaining source of discomfort under the scaffolding of the future tunnel appears to be a curious one: the continuous visits by politicians – the latest being Iva Berasi, the regional Assessor – which force the workers to pause work repeatedly and for long periods.
It is obvious that those working against the clock consider all this time wasted.