Gardesana Occidentale Tunnel Opens, Restoring Lake Connection in Record Time

Traffic along the Gardesana Occidentale resumed flowing between Limone and Riva already on Sunday evening, around 8:30 p.m. The opening of the new tunnel, inaugurated that same day at 7 p.m. by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, was therefore anticipated by a few hours. This tunnel — built over the past months in the Trentino territory — is one kilometer long and, as has been repeatedly emphasized, was completed in record time. It was also made accessible in record time, despite substantial finishing and upgrading works scheduled for the upcoming winter. To put this into perspective, the 22 billion lire spent on constructing the tunnel and ensuring safety—through the installation of temporary lighting and ventilation—will be more than doubled (about 45 billion lire) for finishing works.

Thus, after a truly special Sunday afternoon — enhanced by the presence of the Head of State — the northern lake area begins to benefit positively from the restored connection with Trentino, which will allow regular transit. Residents, tourists, and economic operators had been waiting since last December 22, when a landslide at Rocchetta caused a section of the state road 45 bis to fall into the lake. Yesterday, workers from Anas worked to remove the signs that, for months, indicated the road closure north of Limone, sparking widespread relief. Until Sunday, the connection with Trentino was only possible via detours around the lake, or by heading up Valsabbia and Val di Ledro. Alternatively, vehicles could cross by ferry every half hour between the two shores at Riva. However, a direct link to Navene, the hamlet of Malcesine opposite Limone, remained impossible.

Situation on Secondary Routes

In Limone itself, some grumbling was heard in recent days: the ferry cannot dock on the Veronese side because, despite an expected completion date of June 30, the works for the dock have not yet started. It would take just over ten minutes to reach Navene by boat from Limone, yet this remains unavailable. The record-breaking tunnel remains an exception specific to Trentino. This is confirmed by less positive news emerging from the Gardesana sector south of Limone, along the stretch toward Gargnano.

In Nanzel, the works (which followed the November 18, 2000, landslide) are expected to conclude this week, barring unforeseen issues. A section of about thirty meters of road has been reconstructed here, and stone parapets are being finalized these days. Vehicles are passing thanks to a traffic light managing alternating one-way traffic. Everything should be completed by Saturday, returning traffic to normal. Uncertainties still linger about Forbisicle, immediately south of the tunnel behind Campione.

Here, works involving the installation of nets and rockfall barriers, which last month drew attention and led to protests by local mayors and the president of the Alto Garda Mountain Community, Bruno Faustini, are still ongoing. However, more work remains for finishes at Forbisicle. Recently, a meeting of mayors in Limone resulted in an agreement to postpone finishing touches until after the Riva tunnel opening, to avoid isolating some kilometers of the Riviera.

Now, the work can proceed and, initially scheduled for this week, it might be postponed to the next once Anas issues the order for the temporary traffic suspension. This time, it won’t be a severe blockage as in the past: workers will operate on the cliff face, pausing work to allow cars to pass every 30 minutes. However, if operations proceed quickly or queues become too long, cars may be permitted to pass more frequently.