Infrastructure ahead with some delays

Good but not very good. This is the verdict of the confederation of Northern Italy's industrial system on the state of progress of works in progress, supported by funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRPR) or by funding of another nature, such as the extraordinary funding in view of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The snapshot is taken by the 2024 edition of the customary Osservatorio Oti (Territorial Infrastructure Observatory) North report, supported by the regional confederations of industrialists of Northern Italy - including the territorial ones of Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia and Trentino Alto Adige, with the support of Fondazione Nord Est - which monitors the planning progress and realisation of 86 major infrastructure projects. The result is that last year, 83% of construction sites continued their progress, albeit slightly worse than in 2023. In practice, 66.7 per cent of the major infrastructure works in the macro-region continued on schedule; the year before, the percentage was 78 per cent. There was no lack of slowdowns or criticalities. In the North-East, however, the situation is better than elsewhere, with only one project seriously delayed: the railway link road between Mestre and Venice airport. A construction site on which, among other things, hangs the deadline (June 2026, ed.) linked to the use of Pnrr funds.

This year,' reads the report, 'if the current timetables are adhered to, a number of monitored construction sites will be completed, but 2025 will mainly be a year of continuation of works already begun. In fact, it is from 2026 onwards that various infrastructure systems will see many works come to completion. In order to keep the focus on works in progress, however, for the next edition of the Observatory, the Veneto Confindustria system has asked for the monitoring of six new works to be included. These are the Nuova Romea Commerciale, linking Ravenna and Mestre; the Valdastico Nord (the A31 extension); the upgrading of the Veneto Region's piedmont highway; the A13 motorway; and the completion of the regional road linking Carceri, in the province of Padua, with Legnago, in the province of Verona. Finally, also in Verona, the spotlight will be on the redevelopment and expansion of the passenger terminal at Catullo airport, which should be completed in time for the Winter Olympics, which are getting closer and will also involve the Scaliger capital as well as the Veneto Dolomites.

'Among the works we are following with great attention,' says Raffaele Boscaini, president of Confindustria Veneto, 'are also those related to Milan Cortina 2026, which are proceeding with the planned construction sites. We remain confident that the completion of these infrastructures will take place within the planned timeframe. We also hope that by the end of the year work will begin on the fundamental junction element that is the Longarone variant. In fact, the merit of these works goes beyond the major events strictly related to the Winter Olympics, but they constitute an element of enhancement and stable development for all mountain territories'.

Among the works, the Tav in the Brescia-Verona section and also Verona-Padova, included in the Pnrr, are on schedule: the first lot (Verona-Vicenza junction) will be completed in 2026, the second (crossing Vicenza) in 2032. However, in order to meet the deadlines, financial resources still have to be found, the report states. The speeding-up of the Venice-Trieste motorway, the Brenner base tunnel, the Venice port hub and the passenger terminal at Marco Polo airport in the Venetian capital also follow the schedule. On the contrary, the construction of the third lane of the A4 between Quarto D'Altino and Villesse up to Sistiana, straddling Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, is slowing down. For the upgrading of the A22 Brenner motorway, it is essential to wait for the outcome of the tender for the renewal of the 50-year concession, for which the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has published a call for tenders expiring at the end of May.

Lastly, the interventions planned at the Interporto Quadrante Europa in Verona, the first in Italy and the second in Europe, where work began in December to install a fourth crane in the third module of the terminal, to improve efficiency in loading and unloading operations. Subsequently, the construction of two new tracks in the storage area is planned, increasing the terminal's operational capacity, and finally the construction of the fourth module, equipped with six 750-metre European standard tracks, to support the increase in freight traffic expected with the opening of the Brenner Base Tunnel. A crucial issue, that of logistics, which the Confindustrias of the North East keep under observation. "Confindustria Veneto, in particular, has been following the developments taking place on this front for some time, since the Pnrr itself envisages investments aimed at new models and platforms for managing goods to increase efficiency and sustainability in their movement," comments Boscaini.