(Finance) – It was made official today at Palazzo San Giorgioin the presence of representatives of the Municipality of Genoa, the Liguria Region, the Port System Authority of the Western Ligurian Sea, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the Autostrade per l’Italia Group and the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, the start of works for the construction of the sub-port tunnel of Genoa.
With the green light from the Commission of the Higher Council of Public Works, technical body of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, a work arrives at the starting line which, already dreamed of in 1992 with the redevelopment of the Old Port for the Colombiads based on a project by he architect Renzo Piano continues the process of urban regeneration of the Ligurian capital around the complex synthesis between two needs: to connect the two sides of the city and rebuild the relationship between the city and the sea.
The construction of the new Tunnel, one of the major works that Autostrade per l’Italia has put in place in recent yearswill allow for lighten the downtown city traffic, speeding up the connections between the Ponente and Levante and reducing the noise and air pollution currently produced by vehicles traveling along the Aldo Moro flyover, the fate of which the tunnel opens up for debate.
“The port transport and logistics node is innervated in the urban fabric and the harmonious development of the city and the port depends significantly on the enhancement of vehicular accessibility between the eastern and western parts of the Sampierdarena basin by the residents and the commercial, industrial and tourist users – says the President of the Port System Authority of Genoa Paolo Emilio Signorini – The construction of the sub-port tunnel is a fundamental step in this direction, constituting a modern alternative to the current road system and a decisive contribution to the optimization of traffic flows, also to the advantage of heavy traffic and passengers approaching the port directly”.
“The sub-port tunnel is an important step in the urban regeneration process which intends to promote the beauty of the city, support its economic development and improve the quality of life of citizens while respecting the environment – explains the Mayor of Genoa Marco Bucci – It is an intervention that brings benefits in terms of transport, the usability of public spaces, the enhancement of the historical and cultural heritage, the tourist attractiveness of the port areas, the enhancement of the real estate assets. Today we are writing a new and important page for the future of Genoa”
“This infrastructure represents an epochal turning point for Genoa and for Liguria – says the President of the Region Giovanni Toti – After decades of waiting, today, thanks to the synergy between all the institutions involved, we are ready to set off to carry out this strategic work for a city that is changing its face, becoming more and more attractive, not only for tourists but also for investments . If we think of the tunnel, of the new eastern waterfront but also of the other infrastructures that are nearing completion, are under construction or are about to start, from the Terzo Valico to the Genoa railway junction up to the Gronda – he concludes – one can imagine the enormous positive transformation that Genoa and Liguria are experiencing”.
“The start of the works for the construction of the sub-port tunnel – says theCEO of Autostrade per l’Italia Roberto Tomasi – it is a great challenge, but also an important recognition of the skills of our Group. We are proud to be able to make a project as complex as it is indispensable for territorial development and the quality of life of citizens, on which we have been working over the years, a reality. With the sub-port tunnel, this new season of infrastructure development opens concretely, for increasingly sustainable mobility in step with the growing country. This work in particular allows us to give our dutiful contribution to improving the city’s road system and adds to what we are doing to modernize the motorway network: once again the city of Genoa and the Ligurian territory are confirmed as our priority. Waiting to be able to start also with the construction of the Gronda”.
“The construction of the sub-port tunnel changes the road system in Genoa – explains the Deputy Minister of MIT Edoardo Rixi -. It represents that strengthening of road connections that the city has been asking for decades between the west and east of the city, eliminating interference and bottlenecks that are limiting today. The tunnel becomes the protagonist of the urban structure, opening up to the recovery and redevelopment of the areas in which it returns to the surface. Furthermore, with the reunion between the Lanterna and the Sampierdarena area, the northern expansion of Parco della Foce which becomes the largest in the city and the recovery of the historic walls of Corso Aurelio Saffi, the project also takes on a historical value and environmental unprecedented in the recent history of Genoa”.