Provinces Discuss Future of Tunnel Options amid Urban Planning Changes
The provincial urban planning assessor, Roberto Pinter, explained the proposal for a variation to the PUP (Piano Urbanistico Provinciale) to the mayors of the area the day after tomorrow.
After the local administrations submit their respective observations, in February 2001, the council will proceed with a second adoption of the variation before transforming it into a formal bill.
Apart from local issues, the C9 corridor is affected by major road infrastructure: from all the mayors present at the debate, a note from the province states, “a strong urging has come to define the main traffic nodes of the area.”
Attention has mainly focused, in this regard, on the short tunnel between Nago and Torbole. Pinter reaffirmed that the provincial council has a very clear position on this matter.
Positions on the tunnel
Without political jargon, Pinter reiterated the preference for the short tunnel, already announced by President Dellai and Engineer Tiso. Opposing this hypothesis is a broad, possibly majority, segment of the Altogarda population.
In fact, those in favor of the long tunnel — which would include eliminating the ascent and subsequent descent of Passo San Giovanni — are the Vivibas committees (Vivibilità Vallagarina and Basso Sarca), representing residents of Nago, Caneve, Bolognano, and Arco.
The entire coordination of entrepreneurs from Alto Garda and Ledro, as well as Riva Domani in the Riva municipal council, takes this position. The former oppose it for local reasons, because the Tiso route destroys valuable farmland or because the majority of regional traffic is diverted onto Arco’s territory.
Entrepreneurs have repeatedly expressed that they consider the short tunnel option to be reckless, because the current savings do not justify the provisional and partial nature of the solution.
The fact is, Dellai played tough when he descended into the Busa: to choose the short tunnel or to abandon everything. The local response is conditioned by this directive, and opposition is softened by the consideration that “less is better than nothing” and no one wants a religious war over the tunnel. Therefore, it will be short.