The Ciclovia del Garda has recorded a further rise in construction costs on the Alto Benaco stretch, where more than two million euros are needed to widen and strengthen the Titani and Limniadi tunnels. The updated economic and technical framework is reflected in the contract documents for the landscape report and the technical variant prepared for the section between Riva del Garda and the border with Lombardy, in the direction of Limone sul Garda.
During early drilling and structural checks carried out inside the disused tunnel sections of the former state road, technicians found unexpected collapses of rock material from the tunnel vaults and side walls. The resulting instability in the Monte Rocchetta limestone mass made it impossible to proceed with the original plan to simply adapt the existing passages, requiring an enlarged excavation and the installation of steel ribs as well as reinforcement systems using micropiles and through-ties.
The revised budget is expected to significantly affect the Province of Trento’s functional lots UF 3.2 and UF 3.3. Local associations and the Coordinamento Interregionale Tutela Garda have reiterated concerns about the scale of public spending, noting that for some segments it already exceeds ten million euros per linear kilometre, including issues linked to geological interferences with the SS 45 bis Gardesana Occidentale, where continuous measures are needed in tunnel construction to prevent debris falling onto the roadway. The project update also forms part of broader infrastructure works, while technical findings point to similar structural fragility to that affecting the Alto Garda cliffs exposed to seasonal freeze-thaw cycles, and the executive design of the variant will now need the final landscape approval before any supplementary works are awarded, potentially shifting the overall project timeline for completing the cycle ring.
Italian Version