The Arcisate-Bisuschio road opens after a 40-year wait

The towns in Valceresio had waited for this work for 40 years; today, 15 October 2015, ANAS opened the alternative road to the 344, ‘Porto Ceresio’ highway, in the towns of Arcisate and Bisuschio, in Varese Province. The President of Lombardy Region, Roberto Maroni, the President of Varese Province, Gunnar Vincenzi, and the mayors of the two towns affected by the work, Angelo Pierobon (Arcisate), and Giovanni Resteghini (for Bisuschio) also participated in the inauguration ceremony, which took place in the Frontalieri Hall in Arcisate Town Hall.

The ceremony was held indoors, also because of the weather conditions; the first cars passed by under heavy rain, and the guests watched it on live streaming video, from the Frontalieri Hall in Arcisate Town Hall. “Rain is a sign of good luck for the inauguration,” said the President of Lombardy Region.

“The project was defined during discussions between local authorities, particularly with the councils of Arcisate and Bisuschio, and with the Mountain Community of Piambello, whose suggestions were accepted in full by ANAS during the executive planning stage,” Gianni Vittorio Armani, the Chairman of ANAS, explained. “With the opening of this new work, we are responding to the demands of the local area, inaugurating a road that links to the Induno Olona bypass, allowing a faster connection to and from the A8 motorway, the town of Varese and Switzerland. The cross-border traffic will finally be able to bypass residential areas, with their traffic lights and crossing points, thereby benefiting industry and tourism in both Valceresio and Switzerland.”

“Finally, the work has been completed on a road long awaited by the local area, that was started by me when I was a councillor, and completed in collaboration with ANAS,” Raffaele Cattaneo, the President of Lombardy Regional Council, who was also the councillor for transport, added from Milan. “This road, together with Arcisate-Stabio railway, which the Regional Council undertook to complete within two years, is essential infrastructure that will change mobility in the Valceresio area.”

“The building of infrastructure that helps the mobility of the people continues,” said Roberto Maroni, the President of Lombardy Region. “It’s an important endeavour: five kilometres which the area had waited for, for a long time, which we are opening today, and thereby improving the quality of the lives of the local inhabitants.”

“It’s a very important road, one that is compatible with the environment, which the area had waited for, for a long time,” the President of Varese Province, Gunnar Vincenzi, confirmed. “Now, we’re focusing on the Arcisate-Stabio; thanks to the railway and to this road, even the border traffic that torments our towns will become considerably lighter. We’re heading for greater liveability in these areas.”

The construction of this bypass is part of the Governmental-Regional program agreement of 2000, for the development of infrastructure in Lombardy Region, which also affected Varese Province. In 2003, ANAS stipulated a planning agreement with the Provincial Council, which included the alternative to the SS344, ‘Porto Ceresio’ highway; the work was co-financed by ANAS and Varese Province, who also saw to the final planning. The overall sum for the work is €33.6 million.

The road follows a main stretch of 4.7 kilometres, which is divided into six sections separated by the same number of roundabouts. The works built for the road connection also include: a 17.5m-long, 12.5m-wide underpass, in Via Giacomini, in Arcisate, which includes a pedestrian path, 620m of anti-noise cut-off walls, two pedestrian underpasses at the roundabouts in Via Cantello, in Arcisate, and Via Roma, in Bisuschio.

The main stretch starts from the roundabout in Via Cavour, in Arcisate, continues on the orbital road before going east of the residential areas of Arcisate and Bisuschio, passing under the Arcisate-Stabio railway, and connects to the SS334 at km 7.65, at a new roundabout, in the town of Bisuschio. In the final part, which is 300 meters long, where there is a roundabout, the plano-altimetric profile was changed, because during the bomb-clearing activities, waste was found in the subsoil, which made it necessary to change the route.

In order to safeguard the surrounding environment and to integrate the new infrastructure into the ecosystem, 3 underpasses were included, that were dedicated to the animals; these help to preserve the biological habitats. The storm waters of the whole road system are carried to five ‘first flush diverters’, situated along the route. The landscaping and environmental mitigation work is being completed at the moment, and should be ready by the end of the year.