IPSE DIXIT VALICO BYPASS THE VARIANTE DI VALICO AND THE TOWN THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO COLLAPSE THE BENEFITS OF A GREAT WORK It was 1982 when, for the first time, thanks to Law 531/82, the possibility of upgrading the Apennine section of the Autostrada del Sole was opened up. Since then, there have been more than 30 years of projects, permits, works, and protests. It all culminated on December 23, 2015, when the Valico Bypass was officially completed and opened to the public. A project that reduces travel time between Florence and Bologna by 15 minutes, with an additional annual savings of approximately 100 million liters of fuel, considering all commercial and private vehicles that use the route (Source: AUTOSTRADE PER L’ITALIA SPA). The enthusiasm, however, wasn’t shared by everyone. As construction progressed, concerns grew over the potential danger the project posed to the town of Santa Maria Maddalena in the Bologna area, despite reassurances from experts. “A town is on the verge of collapse, and we’re still moving forward? If the mayor doesn’t halt the work, I’ll take it to the prefect before we end up mourning a tragedy”. Travel time can be reduced by 15 minutes. Annual fuel savings are estimated to reach about 100 million liters, as indicated by a study from Autostrade per l’Italia. No collapse occurred anywhere in the surrounding area. IN SHORT Name: Valico Bypass Location: Italy/Tuscany Start date: 2010 Inauguration year: 2015 Criticisms: Danger of housing settlements collapsing due to tunnel excavation Results: No collapses. According to Autostrade per l’Italia, the total annual savings amount to approximately 100 million liters of fuel SOURCES IL FATTO QUOTIDIANO https://www.ilfattoquotidiano. it/2015/10/14/variante-di-valico-lagrande-opera-non-e-ancora-finitama-ce-gia-un-cedimento-dellastrada/2127188/ LA REPUBBLICA https://bologna.repubblica.it/ cronaca/2011/10/22/news/variante_ di_valico_l_allarme_della_regione23660153/#google_vignette AUTOSTRADE https://www.autostrade.it/ it/web/variante-di-valico/ faq#:~:text=Quanto%20 tempo%20si%20risparmia%20 percorrendo,via%20del%20 percorso%20pi%C3%B9%20agevole Andrea Defranceschi, group leader of the Regional Council of the 5-Star Movement. Repubblica.co.uk, Oct. 22, 2011 Webuild Multimedia Collection
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