Gardesana Road Closures Impact Tourism and Transit in Limone and Riva
The new traffic schedules for the Gardesana Occidentale south of Limone came into effect yesterday. An ordinance issued by ANAS establishes that at the landslide site in Nanzel, just before Limone heading towards Riva, transit is permitted from 7:15 to 8:15, from 12:30 to 13:30, and from 17:00 to 20:00 during weekdays, Monday through Friday. On Saturdays, transit is allowed from 00:00 to 08:15 the following morning and from 14:00 to 20:00.
On Sundays and public holidays, access is granted for a full 12 hours, from 8:00 to 20:00. During nighttime hours, transit on the 45 bis route from Limone towards other municipalities in Brescia will be allowed only for rescue and emergency vehicles.
Further south, in Forbisicle, between Campione and Gargnano, the following hours remain in effect: from 16:30 to 08:30 the next morning and from 12:30 to 13:30. Throughout the rest of the day, the road remains closed to allow ANAS to carry out scheduled safety works, which were suspended during the Christmas holidays.
Situation and official statements
“The new schedules,” says the mayor of Limone, Giovan Battista Martinelli, “can ease the inconveniences during this low season period, but from April 1st, it will become a nightmare.” Regarding the situation on the Gardesana north of the town, between Limone and Riva, a decision is expected any day now from the Provincia di Brescia regarding the appointment of an expert to assess, in conjunction with the one appointed by Trento, the possible reopening of the 45 bis route while the 1,250-meter tunnel, planned by the Autonomous Province, is under construction.
Such is the hope in Limone, but also in Riva, where the City Council has unanimously approved a motion strongly calling for the reopening of the Gardesana between Riva and Limone, provided that minimal safety requirements are met, along with economic support for those facing the costs of the ferry service in these days (9,000 lire per person for the Limone-Riva round trip, 45,000 if traveling by car).
Riva’s officials also request that the Province seek recognition of a natural disaster if restoring transit on the state road proves impossible. The situation is dire, reiterates Martinelli: “Every day I receive calls from hoteliers asking whether they should hire staff for the upcoming tourist season, which begins here before Easter.”
There are five to six hundred breadwinners at risk of losing their jobs. The first working week after the Christmas holidays, with the 45 bis route closed, highlighted that Navigarda, despite significant efforts, is unable to handle vehicle traffic between Riva and Limone.
The ferry, even at full capacity and without stops, can only make a maximum of twenty trips daily with 28 cars aboard, totaling 560 vehicles. During summer, at least 5,000 vehicles pass through this stretch of Gardesana. Mayor Martinelli also announces that starting from January 22nd, thanks to further efforts by Navigarda, ferry trips will be increased after accommodating the requests from Limone and Tremosine.
It is Tremosine residents who, unable to reach Trentino by land, are experiencing the greatest difficulties. In Limone, a town with an almost exclusively tourist economy, there are concerns about the potential collapse of tourism linked to foreign visitors, but for now, everything is closed.
In Tremosine, the situation is different. “Here,” says Mayor Diego Ardigò, “even during winter, six hotels and eight grocery stores are open. The two bakers are struggling to get flour.” The closure of the 45 bis causes significant hardship for 81 artisans and 61 farms scattered across the 18 hamlets of the municipality.
Hay, animal feed, everything used to be purchased in Riva. In the Trento town, around 60 Tremosine students and 34 workers travel daily, 17 of whom work in shifts that include nighttime hours. To avoid arriving late to classes at vocational schools in Rovereto, 14 students, the Town of Tremosine and Limone have had to charter a private boat.
Simone Bottura