The province of Vicenza reconnects with that of Trento after the landslides that had forced the closure of the two main roads, the state highway 47 Valsugana and the provincial road 350. The road 350 between Lastebasse and Folgaria will reopen tomorrow, Saturday, March 23. From the morning, vehicles will be able to travel along this artery, a crucial link between Veneto and Trentino. This announcement comes from the Autonomous Province of Trento. To ensure the safety of users, a special protection veil is currently being installed on the mountainside. The road has been closed since February 12, after a new landslide occurred on the state highway 350, in Trentino territory, the previous night. The rocks falling from the slope had torn down the barriers that were built after the first and more devastating landslide on November 4. In recent weeks, the works of the Trentino Province have continued diligently. In particular, on the canyon where the rock plate was trapped and then blasted with explosives, a special protection veil is being installed to block any falling rocks from the mountain. The structure, closing the canyon, consists of two parts each 6 meters high, for a total height of 12 meters. The veil is made with structural elements of energy-absorbing rockfall barriers equal to 5 thousand kilojoules, and its dimensions have been calculated specifically for the site; it is also equipped with an anti-torpedo ring net, 20-millimeter diameter ropes, and coupled energy dissipaters. "The slope has been cleared," stressed Paolo Nicolussi Paolaz, director of the road structures office of the Autonomous Province of Trento.
"Now we are installing temporary barriers; on Friday (today), we should proceed with the asphalt paving of the road and the repositioning of the guardrails that were torn down. If there are no unforeseen events, we will open on Saturday morning." The rockfall onto the road, and the consequent closure of the highway, had caused significant disruptions in the area, particularly for commuters but also for the commercial activities of Lastebasse and the Valle dell'Astico, forced to deal with the interruption of tourist flow towards the Trentino ski resorts. After the landslide, a large rocky mass remained stuck in a small valley, dangerously overlooking the valley below. After some inspections, carried out with drones and climbers, the corner was blasted with 80 kilograms of explosives; then, the works were able to continue, up to the current state. Also, the state highway 47 of Valsugana, between Bassano and Trento, has been completely reopened after the landslide in January. During this week, even the last transit ban, for trucks weighing more than 25 tons, has been lifted, and thus both lanes in each direction are fully accessible to all vehicles.