Contract for 2 x 5.96 km-long road tunnel in Apennines awarded to jv of Secol and Romagnoli using roadheader with rockbolts, shotcrete and steel arches. December 1999.ANAS, the Italian national road administration, approved on 23rd April, 2008 the EUR1.66 million final design of the Mercatello sul Metauro-San Stefano di Gaifa section on the E78 expressway in Marche region. The 33 km section, whereof 12.5 km of tunnel and 5.5 km of viaduct, will complete the E78 in Marche. The section crosses the Metauro river valley in Sant' Angelo in Vado, Urbania and Fermignano municipalities. The project will be divided into six lots. The E78 will connect, from west to east, Grosseto in Tuscany to Fano in Marche, briefly crossing northern Umbria. It is a high capacity road corridor aimed at connecting the Thyrrenian and Adriatic coasts in central Italy. Visit www.provincia.ps.it/lavoripubblici/2_progettaz_dl/Grosseto-Fano/home%20E78%20Grosseto-Fano.htm 18/08.