Italy Inaugurates Lecco-Ballabio Road Link SS 36 DirThe new road link Lecco-Ballabio (SS 36 dir) opened to traffic on 24th February, 2006 between Lecco and provincial road SP 62 to Val Sassina. The inaugural ceremony was attended by Pietro Lunardi - the minister for infrastructure and transport, Roberto Castelli - the minister for justice, Roberto Formigoni - the president of Lombardy region, Claudio Artusi - the general manager of ANAS (the national road administration), Virginio Brivio - the president of the Lecco province, and local civil and military authorities. The project has been executed in three sections, for an overall cost of EUR245 million, whereof EUR210 million financed by ANAS and EUR35 million by the Lecco province. Visit www.stradeanas.it and www.provincia.lecco.it The section between the crossing of Lecco (SS 36) and the "ai Poggi" junction (see red alignment 1 on map), built by ANAS, consists almost completely of the 3,530 m-long Valsassina tunnel, with the exception of short open air extremities. The two-way tunnel carries two lanes in the first 1,460 metres and three lanes, two of which for uphill climbs, in the remaining part containing the Belledo distributor made of four one-way tunnels: Valsassina-Lecco/Hospital (550 m), Lecco/Hospital-Valsassina (772 m), Lecco/Hospital-Milan (181 m) and Milan-Lecco/Hospital (609 m). The section also includes the 100 m, two-way Poggi 1 tunnel and the Poggi 2 and Poggi 3 one-way tunnels, 74 m and 173 m of length respectively on the Piani d'Erna junction. Tunnelling was performed using traditional methods i.e. drill-and-blast and, hydraulic hammers have been used at the portals in specific geological conditions.The designs for the technological outfit have been elaborated by Studio Ingg Ferro & Cerioni. The tunnel sections are fitted with the following: a centralised technical operating system, the Bione ventilation stack (the first example of a shaft stack in Italy, built by a JV of Beton Villa, Co.Ge. and Valdata Costruzioni) and the Lecco ventilation stack, fully underground and parallel to the tunnel, five electric cabins, modern control and warning systems and soundproofed and environmental mitigation fit-out. Visit www.betonvilla.it Also, active measures have been implemented (fire-proof materials employed for the E&M equipment and associated civil engineering structures) and passive equipment have been installed (signing, SOS, warning systems, CCTV with automatic incident detection (AID), sensoring of abnormal air temperatures in the tunnel, fire extinguishing with hydrants and extinguishers, control of fumes produced by a fire) to guarantee the best security conditions for traffic, in accordance with the most recent law and standards. For example, Vincenza-based Gemmo was in charge of the electrical equipment and used TUNNEL54 devices produced by Brescia-headquarted Palazzoli, which ensures the continuity of service even during a fire. The height and dimension of the suspended ceiling above the roadway is different according to the tunnel cross section and the ventilation equipment requirements. In most of the section with three lanes, the ventilation duct is made up of a suspended ceiling placed five metres above the roadway, divided in two parts by a partition which separates the fresh air channel and the exit channel for the vitiated air. The partitioning of the ventilation duct has been achieved using lightened reinforced concrete panels, produced by Crezza (based in Gordona), fastened to the vault with stainless steel ties (threaded stainless steel rods Concrinox A4 of 8-38.1 mm in diameter and 6,000-6,200 mm of length, supplied by Cogne Acciai Speciali) crewed in with chemical anchors in the structural concrete and protected with calcium silicate. Visit www.gemmo.com, www.palazzoli.it, www.crezza.com, www.cogne.com and www.concrinox.comSimilarly, the ventilation duct panels are structurally built and supported by pieces coated with a 28 mm fire-proof layer of the patented Firemaster Firebarrier 135 produced by Thermal Ceramics based in Casalpusterlengo. This product guarantees protection during 120 minutes and thermal insulation from hydrocarbon fires. To guarantee a strength during 120 minutes of the steel tie-beams that support the Bione stack to the ceiling, in accordance with the hydrocarbon modified (HCM) curve, a 35 mm fire-proof coat has been applied. The ventilation ducts are protected with a 12 mm layer to ensure a 120 mm cellulose fire protection. Visit www.thermalceramics.comThe 2,626 m-long section between the "ai Poggi" junction and Passo del Lupo (see map, blue alignment 2), built by the Lecco province, carries a 10.5 m-wide roadway. It includes the Marina cut-and-cover tunnel (97 m) and three bored tunnels: Cà del Signore (143 m), Fulminata (200 m) and Giulia (181 m bored and 37 m in cut-and-cover at the south portal to Lecco). The 2,456 m section between Passo del Lupo and Ballabio, built by ANAS, is characterised by the Passo del Lupo tunnel (two-way, 2,108 m with cut-and-cover portals of 23 and 20 m). At about midway of the tunnel, a 315 m fork connects the road with provincial road SP 63 to Morterone and serves as pressurized escape exit for pedestrians, access for rescue vehicles and extraction for vitiated air with partition of the reinforced concrete hanging ceiling. The Passo del Lupo tunnel has a circular section with radius of 5.05 m and invert with radius of 8.75 m. The clearance height from the roadway is 4.75 m. There are three 45 m-long emergency lay-bys spaced at 500 m intervals.Rome-based Giua & Partners designed the final project of the E&M equipment. In the Passo del Lupo tunnel, the following equipment has been installed: low and medium voltage electric supply; a unique central row of lights, with lamps supplied by Leuci from Lecco (320 lights TN1); longitudinal ventilation, consisting of 16 jet fans supplying 25 kW near the portals and two big fans of 200 kW in the ventilation plant located by the side of the internal entrance of the fork (the fans have been supplied by Industrie CBI of Milan); 27 video cameras for traffic control and supervision (three of which are adjustable near the portals) and an imaging system supplied by Tyco Fire & Integrated Solutions; traffic monitoring; radio coverage, SOS telephones; luminous signs; hierarchical automatic control and technical monitoring to view entirely the condition of the tunnel, from any premises and not only the operation and control centre, with possibility to act from any place without difference; fire control and extinguishing. Visit www.giuapartners.com, www.cbifans.net and www.tycofis.itFor further details, read the magazine Strade & Autostrade No. 55 or visit www.stradeeautostrade.it 11/06. From left to right: Prefect Carlo Fanara, Virginio Brivio, Roberto Castelli, Pietro Lunardi, President Roberto Formigoni and mayor of Lecco Lorenzo Bodega at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.