Brescia Province to Modernize State Road 572 for Better Traffic Flow
The State Road 572, the heavily trafficked yet vital artery connecting the two capitals of Lower Garda, Salò and Desenzano, is changing its face and ownership: the transfer of responsibilities from the State to the Province of Brescia coincides with a renovation process that, starting this year, will involve mayors and local institutions. The objective is to address the growing problems related to traffic in an area with high tourist concentration. The new 572 will begin in Manerba, where in a few days the announced work for the construction of the new Crociale will commence: a broad-ranging project, developed in collaboration between Comune and the Province of Brescia and contracted just recent weeks ago.
The intervention is destined to radically transform the appearance of what serves as the gateway to Manerba, redeveloping the area and streamlining traffic. The work in the Manerba territory is expected to be just the first chapter of a broader strategy to renew State Road 572, loudly demanded by the coordination of the Valtenesi mayors (with the addition of the first citizens of Salò and Desenzano).
The call from local administrators has been welcomed by the provincial government. Public works councilor Mauro Parolini announced the funding of a comprehensive study project aimed at improving traffic flow and safety on the old state road: a project that, in the biennium 2001 – 2002, should ensure infrastructural interventions of significant importance in other critical points of the 572, as well as the implementation of the roundabout at Crociale in Manerba.
Initial reports suggest work to ease traffic also at Cunettone, and the construction of a new roundabout at Raffa. According to the mayor of Puegnago, Gianfranco Comincioli, this roundabout is an urgent matter that cannot be further delayed for safety reasons.
It is no coincidence, however, that the renovation of 572 begins from Crociale in Manerba, perhaps the most critical point of the entire highway: the Manerba project aims to mitigate the considerable impact that increased tourist traffic, intensified by recent significant construction growth, has on the area, especially during the summer months.
Objectives and Impacts of the Project
The core of the project is the construction of a roundabout that, compared to the current intersection, will be relocated in the direction of Desenzano. The intervention’s goal, as mentioned, is twofold: on one hand, to improve traffic flow by reducing congestion, minimizing the memorable and hellish traffic jams on summer Sundays, and lowering the accident risk at the crossroads;
on the other hand, there is a desire to significantly enhance the visual impact of the town’s entrance, redeveloping an area, Crociale, rich in residences and productive units but still somewhat neglected. The urban fabric of the area will be enriched with a new residential and commercial complex (for which another entrance roundabout will be built), and with the creation of a small square with gardens and landscaped green areas.
The total cost of the operation is 700 million euros. In the first months of the year, work in Manerba will inevitably cause inconveniences for those traveling on the road, but the Administration promises to present the new Crociale by Easter.
If this intervention is followed by others, everything suggests that within a few years, the Desenzano – Salò route will be able to keep pace with the changes that have taken place in the forty years following its construction: changes that have made this road increasingly unsuitable for handling the flows of commercial, private, and tourist traffic that daily, especially during the summer months, make it one of the most congested segments of the provincial road network. The days of traffic jams and accidents might, however, be over.