Brescia Province Inaugurates €800M Crociale Project to Improve Garda Traffic
It has been open and fully operational for several weeks now, but only yesterday was it officially inaugurated: the new Crociale of Manerba, an €800 million project designed to streamline and make the heavy traffic—particularly during summer weekends—more fluid in this area, was the star of a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday morning. The event was attended by the president of the Provincia di Brescia, Alberto Cavalli, the provincial Public Works assessor Mauro Parolini, the mayor of Manerba, Isidoro Bertini, and a wide delegation of mayors, administrators from Valtenesi, and authorities.
In essence, this marked the final stage of a collaborative process between Provincia and the Manerba administration, initiated in 1999 with an initial program agreement that set a model for the broader renewal of low Garda’s road network. “This inauguration is a solemn conclusion to a work that is only the first step in a larger project to upgrade the area’s road infrastructure,” emphasized assessor Parolini, referring to the agreement for the safety upgrade of the state highway 572 and the Cunettone-Tormini segment, signed on March 20 by the Provincia, local mayors (Valtenesi, along with Lonato, Desenzano, Roè Volciano, and Salò), and the Alto Garda Mountain Community.
The agreement provides for commissioning a preliminary design professional for interventions aimed at improving safety and streamlining traffic flows along the affected segment (€150 million, half funded by the Provincia). It is on the basis of this study that decisions will be made and funding allocated for necessary measures to rationalize traffic and enhance safety on this particularly critical stretch, heavily affected by tourist flows. Several interventions are already in the pipeline: two major new construction sites are expected to begin by 2001.
In Padenghe, €2.5 million has been allocated for the construction of roundabouts at the Crociale (eliminating the traffic light), in the West Garda area, the industrial zone, and San Cassiano locality. Meanwhile, €400,000 has been invested for Cunettone, where the existing roundabout will be expanded and modernized, with measures to secure private entrances.
Additional planned interventions include the upgrade to roundabout circulation at the intersections between provincial road 4 “Due Porte” and road 572 within Salò (another €2 million with funding scheduled for 2001), and a €1.2 million commitment in 2002 for the provincial route 39 Cima Zette-Moniga, including widening near the town of San Felice.
In short, Valtenesi will increasingly resemble Provence, the famous southern France region known for its road network dominated by roundabouts—a system that has now spread across the entire French road system. “The ongoing study will set the programmatic guidelines for 2002,” Parolini explained further. “Certainly, there’s a lot of work still to do, starting with the Raffa intersection, which is practically the only populated area cut through by the 572, requiring urgent revision of pedestrian crossings, and extending to Moniga, Lonato’s Lido, and other critical or delicate zones. But the important thing is that we’ve started.”
Undoubtedly, the initial results of this comprehensive project are positive: in Manerba, thanks to the new roundabout, the endless queues from previous seasons are now a thing of the past. “The opening of the new Crociale has truly helped improve mobility in the area, smoothing traffic and eliminating congestion,” explains Mayor Bertini. “We have many reasons to be satisfied.”
“I agree that the initial results with the Crociale of Manerba are confirming that we are on the right track,” confirmed Parolini. “This work has already helped solve a problem that was increasingly threatening to become severe in this area. Now, the new Crociale of Manerba symbolizes what the 572 will evolve into with the upcoming interventions we are planning.”