Gardesana Closure for Roadworks Risks Easter Disruption in Western Garda

The complete closure of the western Gardesana at the Forbisicle area (a short distance south of the tunnel behind Campione) will begin on Monday, March 26, at 8:30 a.m. Meanwhile, hoteliers are on the brink of protest: they are demanding guarantees for reopening by Easter; otherwise, they are ready to undertake “strong” protests. But let’s return to the work. The reopening will take place on Wednesday, March 28, in the evening. The reason for this latest interruption is that a mass of approximately one hundred cubic meters needs to be demolished. Explosives will be used for this purpose. To prevent damage to the roadway, considering that the material will spill onto it, albeit in smaller quantities than initially estimated (the large rock will be shattered), the road will be covered with a layer of gravel, totaling about 300 cubic meters, over a length of approximately 40 meters of the carriageway. Once the mass is removed, ongoing work, which has been proceeding for some time, is expected to conclude by April 6. Therefore, the usual closure hours along this section of state road will remain in force: from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with traffic re-opened every 60 minutes to allow flow.

Alternative route to Gardesana and ongoing roadworks

Between Monday and Wednesday, those heading towards Tremosine, Campione, or Limone will only be able to reach these towns via the provincial road that branches off from Gardesana shortly after Gargnano, which will essentially serve as an alternative to Gardesana. Further north, in Nanzel (just before Limone), drilling operations have begun to install micropiles between the road and the lake. This area is affected by the landslide of November 18. The slope behind the roadway has been stabilized, but to complete the works towards the lake, at least another month will be needed. In the meantime, it will be possible to travel along Gardesana with alternating traffic regulated by traffic lights.

Regarding the larger project, the construction of the Rocchetta Tunnel, work continues after the mountain was drilled from North to South and vice versa. The mountain has also been drilled at the midpoint of the new tunnel, allowing work to continue in both directions from this central point—north and south. Concerning these renovations, it appears that the scheduled timelines will be respected so that the tunnel can be operational by mid-July. However, meeting these deadlines will come at a cost, which involves a complete closure of the current Gardesana to allow trucks and construction vehicles to operate freely. There might be no “windows” for traffic flow, not even around Easter.

Lastly, it remains to be seen what will happen to the 90,000 cubic meters of material removed from Rocchetta to make space for the new 960-meter-long road. The suggested options (deposit in Campione or disposal in the lake) have been increased by another possibility: selling the material. Being permeable limestone, it could be useful for large and fine massifs. But the question posed by local tourist operators is another: will Gardesana be passable or not during Easter?

This question was reiterated during a meeting attended by representatives of the associations of hoteliers from western Garda. Outspoken, the tourism operators want to know if the authorities will keep their promises of opening during Easter, with hours between Riva and Limone. If not, strong protests could develop, already threatened in the past, such as boycotting, refusing to vote, closing tourist facilities with layoffs, or even boycotting Trentino companies that supply many Garda hoteliers, particularly those in Limone. Someone pointed out that the situation is critical both towards Trentino (blocked at Rocchetta for three months) and Brescia (closure at Forbisicle in the early days of next week). “We are waiting until the end of March, then we will have to defend ourselves,” is the sentiment expressed. “Brescia was supposed to present a technical report on the northern part of Gardesana: could it be passable?”