Limited Access on Gardesana South Near Limone Ahead of Christmas
There are still uncertainties regarding the opening south of Limone on the Gardesana State Road before Christmas, meaning within a few days. The blasting and debris removal work on the wall is still ongoing and cannot be completed by the end of this week. Additionally, the only operation involving drilling into the mountain to place 200 rockfall barriers will require at least another week. In the meantime, the conditions of the carriageway have been assessed (yesterday, some managers from Anas were on site) which, in part, had been washed into the lake by the November landslide. In one area, half of the road has been washed away, so if an opening is decided — for example, if a decision is made to open — alternating one-way traffic will be necessary.
Traffic situation and safety
The issue of alternating traffic seems secondary, considering that — at this time of year — traffic is significantly reduced compared to the summer months. However, the question of safety for motorists remains open. To date, whenever the wind blows or during the hottest hours of the day when the mountain dries, something detaches from the wall and falls onto the road.
An intermediate solution, already considered, could be the installation of a temporary barrier between the site of the first intervention (at the top of the mountain) and the carriageway. Nonetheless, a decision regarding opening (which would prevent motorists traveling from Salò to Riva from having to go up to Tremosine to reach Limone) will not be taken before next Friday, just before the Christmas holidays.
Another decision, instead, should be made today or tomorrow, regarding the suspension of work at Forbisicle (south of the Campione tunnel), where transit is not allowed between 8:30 and 12:30 and from 13:30 to 16:30 on weekdays. An agreement might be reached between Anas and the contracting company to extend the deadline for completing the work (scheduled for January 11), in exchange for opening the road during the holidays.
Opinions of local authorities
Regarding the “Gardesana” issue, we have the opinion of Limone Mayor, Battista Martinelli: “It’s true that traffic is reduced during this period, and consequently the inconveniences are more bearable, but for us, the difficulty remains in reaching the Brescia capital, if only by extending travel times by over half an hour. We hope for a Christmas reopening, as some hotels will operate for a couple of weeks during that time.”
Furthermore, the holidays will attract Italian tourists coming from the south, contrary to summer when most visitors are from abroad.” adds Giuseppe Mongiello, newly elected president of the Comunità del Garda: “I was aware that hoteliers hoped for the road to open for the upcoming Christmas holidays; I hope this will be possible. In any case, as president of the Comunità del Garda, I am calling the mayors of the area to identify the crisis zones and then support the reasons of each administration. The board of the community will meet on the 21st; during the assignment of roles, we will also consider the issue of traffic management.”