A few meters south of the H71 Isarco Underpass construction lot, which was completed in December 2023, work is ongoing on the construction lot for the New Riol access road. The works were awarded to the Unionbau-Brunner & Leiter consortium and began at the end of January 2025. The works are expected to last approximately 25 months, with a total investment of about EUR 13 million.
The project is divided into two sublots: the first includes the construction of a new railway underpass that will create a road connection between the SS12 state road and the neighbourhood of Riol. The second part will involve the extension and improvement of the existing underpass for cyclist and pedestrian traffic and will become a priority cycle and pedestrian route. The excavated earth and rock will be almost completely recycled on-site, especially in the construction of reinforced earthworks that will separate the railway from the residential neighbourhood to the east; a walking path will run along the top of this structure, covered in many different types of vegetation which will improve local biodiversity.
The construction site lies between the Fortezza–Ponte Gardena stretch and the southern access to the BBT and will improve the connections between the Riol area and the town of Fortezza. All of this will benefit more efficient and sustainable mobility.
The most significant recent developments have taken place in the first sub-lot. In mid-November, work began on the railway track area to lay the track support systems for the Brenner and Pusteria railway lines and the construction of the railway underpass was decisively sped up by the completion, over the past few days, of the work involved in driving the 2,700-tonne concrete structure, which was manufactured off-site, under the railway line using hydraulic thrust.
The construction manager, Antonio Spaziani, is pleased with the latest developments on the construction site: “The construction of this lot, which blends well into the surrounding area thanks to careful landscape design, is progressing according to schedule. These strategic construction measures will not only provide better roadways for local residents, they will also provide improved access for emergency teams servicing the Verona-Brenner rail line. “This milestone was reached thanks to the close cooperation between RFI, BBT SE, the construction consortium, the municipal administration and, most importantly, the local population.”
