VDP Srl

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Since 2003 VDP has been assigned by SPEA Engineering S.p.A. several studies regarding the following infrastructure upgrade:

• Gronda di Ponente (A10 - Voltri - Genoa Ovest section);
• New northbound A7 carriageway (from Genoa Ovest to Passo dei Giovi).

VDP developed the Environmental and Economic Pre-Feasibility study and in 2004 drafted the Preliminary Advanced Project for the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) concerning the new northbound A7 carriageway - Gronda di Ponente, San Benigno interchange, Rapallo Tunnel and related works. In 2007 the Company updated the EIS following the new requirements of legislation which placed the interventions among the strategic national projects.

Eventually VDP carried out EIS revision, upgrade and completion regarding the final design of Genoa road and highway junction. The project involves the construction of a highway infrastructure called Gronda di Ponente consisting of two carriageways, each with two lanes, in both directions. It also involves an upgrade of a limited section of the new northern three-lane carriageway of A7 highway. Gronda di Ponente will serve as a connection between A26 and A7 (in the Voltri-Bolzaneto section) highways. It will consist, almost completely, of a tunnel and will link, through a specific main road, the highway system with Genoa Airport. Subsequently, it reconnects with A12 highway at the Genoa Est junction.The project is completed by the new construction of the northbound A7 carriageway between Genoa Ovest and Genoa Bolzaneto junctions.

A public debate covering all the critical issues of the project has been held from February 6, 2009, ending in December 2010.

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS

The Environmental Impact Study, in addition to the ordinary purposes, identifies the best route among those proposed for Gronda di Ponente infrastructure and Genoa road and highway (A7) junction. The route selection process balanced all the issues involved through the optimal control of critical aspects following a university developed model.

The study took into account all the environmental components required by legislation developing in-depth analyses regarding the pre-construction phase and applying detailed simulation models in order to evaluate containment and mitigation interventions. In this context homogeneous areas were selected and for each of them an integrated intervention, comprising the whole set of environmental components, was designed favoring the protection of ecosystems and public health.