April 6, 2022 Italy is investing €2.7 billion to upgrade critical bridge and motorway connections. Driver safety will be an engineering priority, along with necessary maintenance. The Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Transport (Mims) is planning a work plan. The 1.4 billion euro budget is for improving safety standards for bridges and viaducts, while the remaining 1.3 billion euros will go to critical road maintenance works.

Meanwhile, a new 17.5km section of the Autosole motorway is now open to traffic. The section includes a 10-kilometer tunnel connecting Barberino di Mugello to the north of Florence. The tunnel is said to be one of the widest in Europe and increases the capacity of the route. The project is part of a €1 programme to develop the Autostrada del Sole in Tuscany.

Recently, Italian company Cossi Costruzioni will sign three contracts for Italian road sections with a total value of 189 million euros. The company, part of the Webuild Group, will carry out maintenance work as well as safety upgrades and installation of sound barriers in Genoa, Milan and the highway sections between Bologna, Florence and Fiano Romano. Keywords: engineering construction, engineering news

Webuild said it was using Cossi's expertise to expand into road and motorway maintenance and rehabilitation as Italy looks to improve the quality of its motorways. The country's network is extensive, with more than 7,000 kilometers of highways alone and more than 15,000 kilometers of regional and provincial highways. There are also 16,000 bridges and viaducts, most of which are over 50 years old.Editor/XingWentao