Mid-June Opening for New Limone-Riva Tunnel, No Easter Reopening

The new tunnel connecting Limone to Riva will be passable, albeit with alternating traffic, by mid-June, one month earlier than initially planned; however, a staggered reopening of the old Statale 45 bis during the Easter period is not being considered.

Too risky, the explosions used for tunnel construction could compromise the stability of the rock walls overlooking the coastline, and opening the road to traffic would slow down the ongoing work.

Within the 80 square meters of the tunnel’s cross-section, charges are arranged in a radial pattern: the central charge detonates first, followed seconds later by the first set and then the second set right on the edge of the excavation.

The depth of the holes, currently one and a half meters, will increase to three meters when the tunnel extends into the mountain’s interior, and the charges will be more powerful. Meanwhile, the protest actions have decreased; among these was a strike of votes for the political elections scheduled for May 13, announced by hoteliers on the Brescian Riviera.

Positions and decisions regarding the reopening

“The decision to open in mid-June,” says Chicco Risatti, president of the Riviera dei Limoni hotel consortium, “is acceptable. Certainly, we hoped for a partial reopening by Easter, but since that seems impossible, we can only resign ourselves.”

The Riviera dei Limoni steering committee has announced some initiatives. The first involves printing a map to distribute to tour operators, showing four options for travelers coming from Brenner to reach Limone:

• exit at the Rovereto Sud-Lago di Garda Nord toll booth then take the ferry from Riva;
• make a loop around Lake Garda;
• exit at the Affi-Lago di Garda Sud toll booth, board the Torri-Maderno ferry, and then arrive at Limone;
• reach the Milan-Venice highway, exit at Desenzano, and travel along the Brescia Riviera through the entire Lago di Garda’s northern area.

Additionally, the Riviera dei Limoni has arranged informative updates every two hours on two websites (www.lagodigardamagazine.com/it/info and www.reisen-touren.com/Italien/Gardasee).