Gardesana Landslide Sparks Debate on Road Safety and Tourism Impact
The reopening of the state road with temporary solutions agreed upon with the Ministry of Public Works, pending the tunnel construction, in order not to compromise a tourist movement that generates 700 billion euros in revenue.
Positions of the Center-Left Council Groups
The Center-Left council groups present in the Provincial Council take a stance on the Gardesana issue.
This follows meetings with officials from Alto Garda, including, among others, the mayor of Tignale, Manlio Bonincontri, and councilors Antonio Moro and Fabrizio Bontempi.
The meeting was held in a climate of concern over the economic, tourist, and environmental impacts caused by the landslide.
The administrators and politicians of the Ulivo party examined some issues, and based on the discussion, several observations and numerous proposals emerged:
“Since December 22 of last year, the western Gardesana has been closed in the section from Limone to Riva, blocking transit with Trentino and Northern Europe – the representatives of the center-left state –.
As this is the second severe interruption affecting this stretch, the Autonomous Province of Trento has decided to intervene with a definitive solution.
This involves constructing a natural tunnel approximately 1.5 kilometers long as an alternative to the current road route, which should remain closed to traffic during the approximately two-year construction period.”
Intervention Plan and Economic Considerations
“The proposed solution, considered optimal, because it would definitively solve the safety issue on this road segment – state the Ulivo groups – is, however, detrimental to the survival of the tourism economy of Lake Garda in Brescia.
Indeed, between Limone and Salò, there are 10 million seasonal guest presences, over 4,000 workers in the tourism sector, and an overall turnover of approximately 700 billion euros, excluding related sectors (craftsmanship and commerce).”
The provinces of Trento and Brescia, together with the Montane Community of Alto Garda Bresciano, recently met to discuss the solution proposed by the Autonomous Province of Trento.
An agreement was reached to prepare a geological report to verify if it is possible to make the landslide-affected area safe.
Assessments of the Report and Implications
According to provincial representatives of the center-left, this report “must be evaluated considering different possible transitional solutions and, in any case, conditioned on the road’s openness.”
Furthermore, this report must consider the overall hazard level of the Gargnano – Riva section and not only the Trentino stretch; it would make no sense, in fact, to close only the Trentino part and leave the Brescia section open if the risk levels were similar.
Thus, it should be further detailed and integrated, involving experts from other institutional levels, to address the immediate problem and propose definitive solutions, which are more than ever necessary.”
Political Initiatives and Requests to the Government
The Brescia center-left thus urges its representatives in Parliament and the Regional Council to undertake two important initiatives:
“It is necessary to meet with Trentino officials and politicians to illustrate the issue and discuss potential solutions.
Secondly, it is crucial to establish a discussion table involving a delegation of politicians, officials, and economic operators from Garda with the Ministero dei Lavori Pubblici (Ministry of Public Works), to present the problems and proposed solutions, so as to secure the necessary resources.”