Work on securing the east fornix of the Roviano Tunnel on the A24 in the L’Aquila/A25/Teramo direction between the Vicovaro and Carsoli interchanges has been completed. The reopening will allow the safe transit of the tunnel on both carriageways during the All Saints’ Day weekend.
The tunnel will remain open from Oct. 29 afternoon through Nov. 2 without interruption. In the following days, the east archway will be temporarily closed to allow complementary work to be completed. Work that will not directly affect the tunnel structure, but the facilities and signage. The additional works will be carried out only during weekdays, which are characterized by reduced traffic volumes, allowing the full usability of the two arches on weekends.
The contractor, Toto Costruzioni Generali, worked on the basis of a project that envisaged the end of the work on November 15, managing to reduce the time by 17 days out of 70, 24% of the contractual time, an extraordinary result for large works in Italy. A goal achieved thanks to the intense synergy between Group companies serving the concessionaire Strada dei Parchi, which had already been achieved last summer when, in agreement with the granting Ministry, a temporary shield was installed to allow the temporary closure of the construction site in the Roviano Tunnel and the safe use of both arches, guaranteeing the fluidity of holiday traffic.
A tunnel designed and built about fifty years ago, but which, during SdP’s in-depth inspections, revealed major hidden construction defects: severely reduced thicknesses in the lining on about 30 percent of the canopy in the right-hand archway, the one for traffic heading toward Abruzzo. Structural defects that, in all likelihood, would not have had an immediate impact on traffic safety, but which SdP did not leave to chance, deciding to intervene as quickly as possible to prevent further degeneration. It therefore immediately closed the defective tunnel, in agreement with MIMS, and immediately began planning rehabilitation work.
During the development of the project, anticipating long lead times for execution, SdP sought temporary solutions to avoid the feared effects of closure during the summer period. On May 15, the installation of a temporary protective shield for 165 m of tunnel was proposed and immediately approved by MIMS. A temporary structure procured, purchased, transported and installed by SdP and TCG in less than two weeks. As early as May 28, the tunnel was temporarily reopened to traffic for the June 2 bridge and kept in operation continuously throughout the summer. Without this high-tech solution, queues of tens of kilometers would have been generated between Lazio and Abruzzo in the period between June and August.
Pending the approval of the PEF, the work was financed in advance by SdP, with a commitment of more than two million euros to ensure maximum efficiency in serving the Customer, without ever sacrificing safety. The final arrangement of the Roviano Tunnel came into full swing on September 6, with the reopening of the construction site in the right archway. This complex operation, which included the reconstruction of part of the canopy with steel ribs and the laying of a waterproofing membrane, was also financed in advance by SdP, for an additional approximately 3.5 million euros.
