Gardesana Occidentale Closure: Road and Tunnel Upgrades Until 2024
The Gardesana Occidentale between Riva and Limone is impassable following recent works. It will remain closed until mid-December: enough time to complete the «Epica» tunnel, inaugurated last July 8. The tunnel was constructed after the road connecting Trentino and Lombardy was blocked by a landslide in February 1999, which resulted in one death.
The complete closure of the tunnel was necessary to connect the two portals with the escape tunnels inside the main tunnel. These two tunnels are 60 meters long each, one on the right and one on the left. This is a significant operation requiring 24-hour access for at least thirty days.
Completion Works and Detours
Starting from January 10 of next year, two additional types of completion work will be studied: the first for building the cantilevered tunnel towards Limone, and the second for the road exit towards Riva beneath the Sperone bridge.
The temporary closure obliges a reminder of waterway transport between Limone and Riva, especially for commuters and, in particular, students from the Brescia side who need to reach institutions in Trentino. Navigarda has already arranged special services, including ferries for vehicle and passenger transport and catamarans solely for people. In total, there are eighteen runs in both directions.
Traffic Impact and Future Works
The interruption of the Gardesana Occidentale has not caused, at least for the moment, traffic issues on the eastern shore of Garda, which has been open to heavy traffic since November 1 after restrictions imposed during the tourist season were lifted.
It is important that the completion works of the tunnel, scheduled for next year and expected to last two months, are carried out before Easter to avoid the significant disruptions to the tourist economy that occurred last spring in the Upper Brescia Garda area: «The cantilevered tunnel, to be built southward towards Limone and measuring 170 meters, will be even more efficient,» highlighted engineer Paolo Nicolussi Paolaz, project director, referring to the tunnel built in 1999 after the February landslide, which was later rendered unusable by another landslide in December 2000.
It will be a steel and concrete structure capable of «self-sealing» if struck by a landslide, thus creating a safe passage for transit at that moment. The northern intervention at the «Epica» tunnel involves 50 meters of tunnel work, including the installation of the entire lighting system for the Orione tunnel, less than one kilometer long, situated in Trentino.
The cost of the intervention at the «Epica» tunnel entrances is approximately 40 million euros, adding to the 70 million euros already spent on building the main 1,250-meter tunnel through Monte Rocchetta.
