Construction Delays, Faults Halt Gardesana Underpass Project

It certainly can’t be called a stroke of good luck. The now-famous Melsineo underpass, built to cross Gardesana, which was supposed to be completed by the end of March, seems to be “unable to finish.” The problems, in fact, persist; the work appeared to be nearly finished, but sadly, nothing has come of it.

After all the controversies, delays by the company responsible for the work, and disputes with shopkeepers and hoteliers, it now seems that fate is against the project.

Since Sunday afternoon, the communications of several telephone lines in a Malcesine area have been interrupted; the cause of the fault is still unknown, but the damaged wire has been located, and unfortunately for Mayor Lombardi, Telecom workers have delivered their verdict: the wire is precisely where the workers finished their work on the underpass last Friday, and where the asphalt was later laid.

Technical intervention and related issues

The technicians are currently silent. Luigino Bresalola, the chief of police, watches frustratedly as Telecom workers dig, then at a certain point, he leaves in anger and comments: “I don’t want to watch. They’re causing a disaster; they keep digging holes, not knowing exactly where the damaged cable is.”

But the telecom workers have no doubts. “We don’t know what caused the fault, whether the wire has moved, if moisture is involved, or if the compactor during the paving operation damaged it. But one thing is certain: the wire is down there. Still, before commenting on the cause, we need to find the cable.”

Unfortunately, it is necessary to dig deeper and reach the structural foundation of the underpass, and without the permission of the engineer who designed it or the mayor, this cannot be done. For now, we must wait.”

Reactions and consequences

Mayor Lombardi is incredulous and is evaluating what to do next. “This really couldn’t come at a worse time,” he says, “we are trying to figure out how to resolve this issue as well.”

In the meantime, many complaints are coming in. It is unknown how many users are currently unable to use their phones, but it has been learned that approximately 150 devices are connected to the faulty line.

Some blame the administration for incompetence and inability; others believe it is just bad luck. Several hypotheses are currently circulating: some think that the compactor during paving might have crushed the cable, while others suspect that water infiltration caused the damage, especially considering the flood on Sunday afternoon; the lines actually went out the same day around 6:30 p.m.

For now, all activity is halted, and the inauguration of the unfortunate underpass seems increasingly distant.

Katia Toninelli