Desenzano to Sirmione Upgrade: New Highway Interchange Approved
Cost: 1.2 billion lire. Start of works: by next summer. The fourth interchange of the Lonato-Desenzano-Sirmione bypass is now a done deal. The project has in fact been reviewed by the Municipal Council and approved; in recent days, an official resolution has also been prepared to assume responsibility for the financial commitment: as mentioned, 1.2 billion lire.
“Construction — assures the Public Works Councilor, Tommaso Giardino — should commence in spring, say before next summer.” The fourth interchange is an old project from the previous administration led by Massimo Rocca, but it was later abandoned for environmental concerns and to prevent another wave of concrete from hitting an area already highly agricultural, compromised by railway lines, the highway, the bypass, and possibly in the future, the high-speed train (TAV).
Technical details and motivations of the project
However, Giardino reiterates: “The project, in agreement with the designer, architect Florenzo Bertolinelli, will not be invasive; it will respect existing organic farms and artisanal areas.” The new interchange will roughly be located in the Grezze area, on the road connecting Desenzano (from the viaduct) to S. Pietro, Centenaro, and Vaccarolo.
The first page of this long story, which has reopened today, dates back to 1992. The Anas (Azienda Nazionale Autonoma delle Strade) had expressed willingness to draft the project at the request of the Desenzano Administration and to finance it as well. Later, however, the then City Council rejected it, deeming it “unnecessary”.
Current situation and changes
However, as noted by Public Works Councilor of the Anelli Administration, “the situation has changed profoundly due to the expansion of the artisanal area along Via Monte Baldo and the residential settlements of the populous Vicina neighborhood.” In the meantime, Anas has revised the project and given its approval for the construction of the interchange on the highway.
“Thanks to this new construction,” continued Giardino, “we will prevent internal roads in Desenzano from becoming congested; today, traffic is chaotic especially in those areas and at the Rivoltella interchange: the Vicina and other residential areas will now have another exit onto the highway, without residents needing to go elsewhere.” Architect Bertolinelli’s plan also includes the construction of a roundabout along Via Grezze to facilitate motorists heading towards various localities and the bypass.
Current status and phase of works
Currently, there are two interchanges on the Desenzano-Sirmione stretch: at Rivoltella and San Martino della Battaglia. The construction of the section between Rovizza di Sirmione and Peschiera is also awaited: the Veneto Region has already allocated nearly 40 billion lire, but the start date of the highly anticipated works remains unknown. Nevertheless, the approval of the project for the well-known variant of the State Road 11 dates back to 1989.