Garda Tunnel Safety and Improvements: Debate Over Renovation Costs
In the 29 kilometers separating Gargnano from Riva del Garda, over 30 tunnels have been excavated, mostly within the rock; in some cases, they are artificial tunnels. This stretch of Gardesana was built between 1928 and 1931: it’s easy to imagine the modest traffic volume the road had to support at that time. After a very long debate (resurfaced recently) about the route no longer being suitable for the number of passing vehicles, in the 1960s Gardesana was ‘refined’ and many tunnels were widened. Some — like the one behind Campione — were completely rebuilt.
Situation and accidents along the route
However, the situation of the northern section of the highway, between our province and Trentino, has come under renewed attention for the past couple of years and is often at the center of heated debates. The upcoming political meeting on the topic will be hosted by Limone on November 3. If attention shifts from the road’s usability to its safety, some surprises emerge.
Among the thirty or so tunnels, fatal accidents have been few, fortunately, and mainly occurred in the artificial ones. The most recent death in a tunnel excavated into the rock was a few years ago: a French motorist died in a car fire, but the incident would have caused similar consequences if it had occurred outside.
On the Gargnano-Limone stretch, during the tourist season, over 20,000 vehicles pass daily; slightly fewer between Limone and Riva. Transit is forbidden for vehicles taller than 3.5 meters and for trucks over 24 tons total weight. Also prohibited are semi-trailers, articulated vehicles, and double-decker buses from Gargnano to Riva.
The tunnels, many of which are narrow and pointed in shape, evoke fear, but based on facts, they have so far resulted in no more victims than the open-road sections, which unfortunately also have their share of tragedies: in the past three years, two 24-year-olds lost their lives, one from Limone and the other from Tremosine.
It is worth noting that a significant number of buses pass through these kilometers of tunnel: some are regular line buses, many are tourist coaches. The longest tunnel is behind Campione (2,300 meters), built in the late 1960s and subject to attention about a dozen years ago, with work aimed at eliminating water infiltrations.
In this tunnel, escape routes (for vehicles) are limited to the exits that lead to Campione. Escaping on foot might seem easier in some places, where one can reach the old road alignment, parallel to the current one. The tunnel is fully illuminated, however.
The situation for other tunnels north of Lake Garda is less favorable: only three are equipped with lighting systems, and only one recently has luminous boundary markers on the sides of the lanes. The problem? They require power, or else solar panels must be installed.
However, each panel costs around 7 to 8 million euros. For some time, many have insisted (Led by Alto Garda mayors) that the ‘galleries issue’ on Lake Garda should be definitively resolved. The main obstacle? The estimated 300 billion euros needed for investment.
