Manerba’s Gateway to Get a New Look with Traffic and Safety Upgrades

The main “gateway” of Manerba is about to undergo a dramatic transformation: no more queues and traffic jams caused not only by the rush tourism but also by the increasingly widespread presence of new residents and second homes. No more unruly traffic and nerve-wracking waits at traffic lights. “Crociale of Manerba will get a new face,” promises the municipal administration led by Mayor Isidoro Bertini, approving a project that will start to materialize after the 2000 season: the contract will be awarded in the coming days.

Objectives and Expectations

The goal is ambitious: on the table are not only the regulation and rationalization of road traffic but also the redevelopment of an area unfortunately known only for its queues and summer and Sunday chaos, where however an important community of residents and economic activities exists, which naturally hopes to live and work in better environmental conditions.

This does not mean, of course, that traffic will disappear from Crociale (the trend is rather an increase, as with all roads around Garda and Italy): the municipality’s intervention, starting from a more careful management of traffic flow, will also invest in improving the area.

“After the intervention, Crociale might almost become the sixth district of Manerba,” asserts Mayor Bertini, the main architect of a project born from an agreement with the Province and part of a broader operation to improve municipal road safety.

Funding and Features

Manerba Municipality and Palazzo Broletto signed a memorandum of understanding last year, in which the Province committed to funding and implementing the project for Crociale’s road network with an investment of 250 million lire: the remaining cost of the operation (over half a billion lire) will be covered by the city coffers.

But what are the characteristics of the intervention? Essentially, Crociale will be transformed into a large square with a roundabout, which in municipal plans should significantly improve traffic flow: the aim is to reduce accident risks at this highly trafficked intersection, ensure greater speed in traffic management, reduce queues, and facilitate outbound traffic from the town during particularly critical times, such as summer Sunday evenings when the daily tourist traffic reaches the point of paralyzing part of the town.

In addition to solving traffic issues, the project promises a new look for the gateway of one of the most touristy towns on the lake: the construction of the roundabout will lead to the creation of a sort of small square with gardens and greenery, near a small residential and commercial center.