Gardesana Reopening Doubts Amid Landslide Risks and Traffic Restrictions

The difficult decision made in the afternoon was already reconsidered by the evening. The reopening of the Gardesana (after more than a month of closure south of Limone, following a landslide that shattered the mountain and part of the roadway of state highway 45 bis) seemed imminent, with the measure taken by ’Anas yesterday around noon. The Anas personnel faced a significant effort, already planning overtime today to set up signs indicating the new situation, specifically the possibility of transit.

Then, in the evening, yet another serious incident that occurred a few kilometers further north (another landslide, discussed alongside) may have prompted some reconsideration—moreover, well-founded—leading the responsible officials at ’Anas to reflect and reconsider the previously made decision of reopening, at least at the site of the ongoing landslide work. If the ordinance—allowing transit up to Limone—were to be confirmed, the reopening would proceed, even if only for a few days and limited to specific hours: from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., from tomorrow (Sunday) until January 3.

Conditions and restrictions on traffic

As it stands, the closure would remain from late afternoon to late morning, with alternating one-way traffic, considering that the portion of the roadway cleared so far only allows passage of one vehicle at a time. However, the relief for the tourism operators is now overshadowed by an immense new point of uncertainty. The same holds true for motorists.

Some doubts about the already issued reopening ordinance had, in fact, arisen yesterday. The reason? Much of the mountain’s ridge still needs clearing. These are substantial works covering a broad front, which at its widest reaches a hundred meters, over roughly fifty meters of slope.

The ordinance reveals some concerns, as evidenced by the fact that—if it rains—there would be an immediate re-closure. Furthermore, serious doubts had been raised by the expert commission of ’Anas (including a geologist) which conducted an inspection just the day before yesterday.

Initially, it did not seem that the traffic reopening hypothesis had much chance, and even among the proposed remedies, none gained strong credibility: the installation of a protective barrier between the rocky wall and the road to prevent falling soil and debris. While such material can fall onto the roadway during strong winds or rain, terrain disintegration is sometimes worsened by sunny days when temperatures rise (freeze and thaw cycles).

In addition to the reopening of the road south of Limone—that, until late yesterday, was considered the most significant news—another measure was to be implemented, which has been planned for some time. Specifically, the ongoing works near the Forbisicle hotel, south of the long artificial tunnel behind Campione. These works will be suspended until January 8.

Thanks to this decision, transit will not be interrupted even on weekdays, and there will be no need (just north of Gargnano) to go up to Tignale, then continue to Tremosine, and finally descend to Limone. Moreover, the company working on the Forbisicle project will be granted additional days to complete the work. The initial deadline for completion was set for January 11, but this provisional reopening will lead to a delay.