Verona Research Supports New Landslide-Resilient Highway Near Limone
The Wednesday afternoon site visit and conference on landslides near Limone brought to light renewed interest in the project developed in the early 1990s by the Comunità Montana Parco.
Among the politicians present in Limone, more than one emphasized their opposition to the permanent abandonment of the current Gardesana Occidentale, a road described as “unique.” Not to mention that constructing a new highway, whether on a hillside or through a tunnel, using the current road for other purposes would still entail maintenance costs.
Key features of the project
But what are the main characteristics of this project, which has a cost of just under one billion euros, including preliminary and executive design, developed by the Centro Studi System of Verona in recent years?
The first phase involves doubling the tunnel between Gargnano and the junction for Tignale, with one tunnel for each direction of travel. Alongside these works, others would be carried out to improve the Tignale interchange, eliminating the dangerous “z-shaped” curve, where notable inconveniences and numerous accidents occur.
The second phase involves upgrading the so-called minor tunnels between Gargnano and Limone, while the most significant work involves constructing three new tunnels: one originating from Forbisicle leading into the current Campione tunnel, another starting from Val de la Vigna (just outside the Brasa hydroelectric plant) and emerging near the fallen soldiers monument of the “Barca Sesia.”
The last tunnel begins a few meters north of the monument and surfaces at the Hotel San Giorgio, bypassing Nanzel, a site of recent landslides.
If this project remains valid, the section between Val de la Vigna and the monument would replace the current artificial tunnel, which is blocked by a massive boulder monitored by a surveillance system.
About two years ago, a first attempt was made with the Gargnano-Tignale tunnel and the Tignale interchange, but the 75 billion euro funding was cut.
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