San Zeno Tunnel Closure Sparks Chaos and Criticism in Garda Area
Passionately eventful day on Friday for drivers traveling between Lonato and the Perla roundabout, as well as for residents of the Garda town. The sudden closure of the San Zeno tunnel, decided by the toll highway company of the «Serenissima» (which holds jurisdiction over this section of road), sparked the usual chaos, alongside anger from local residents and unfortunate motorists who found themselves navigating the area.
Fortunately, the disruptions ended on Friday evening when workers completed their tasks, removing barriers and signs, and reopening the tunnel and the entire ring road to traffic. However, criticism did not fade entirely, especially regarding the unbelievable lack of prior information, which could have at least allowed drivers to avoid traffic jams.
Instead, residents—particularly those living along corso Garibaldi and nearby streets—faced unpleasant surprises, enduring long queues, high levels of pollution, and safety risks. The public works councilor, Emilio Baresi, commented: “It’s the usual story, we are informed at the last minute, so we can’t even issue an ordinance to notify the population of the closure.
Repercussions and official decisions
We placed police officers at strategic points to ease traffic congestion and reduce inconvenience.” According to Councilor Baresi, “the fax arrived only on Thursday evening, after office hours, so the notice was only reviewed on Friday morning.” Bresciaoggi contacted the «Serenissima» operational center for clarification.
“We only sent the notices to the relevant contacts: Prefecture, Carabinieri, Municipality, etc., and the work will be completed today,” was the succinct response from an official. The sudden closure was necessary due to urgent cleaning, repair, and signage renewal operations.
One last detail: after learning from the press about the complaint regarding alleged safety flaws in the San Zeno tunnel, submitted by a teacher from Desenzano, the mayor of Lonato, Morando Perini, ordered police officers to carry out an inspection. Leaked information suggests the officers identified several safety issues within the tunnel.
Follow-up measures and inspections
The council decided yesterday to send a report to ANAS for the necessary interventions.
