A third lane on the Brennero motorway is necessary to meet the demands of the constantly increasing traffic. This holistic project will be implemented in conjunction with strengthening the railway, as freight transport will be gradually shifted to the track, and limited to the Verona-A1 intersection. Part of the A22 is ready for an extra lane in both southbound and northbound lanes without having to build into the unclaimed land by using the grassy central reservation – actual construction work will take place for the necessary expansion near the bridges over the Fissero-Tartaro channel and the Mincio and Po rivers. The works will take place on around 90 km. The Bolzano-Verona route will be strengthened via the third dynamic lane. This solution will strike a balance between traffic and safety needs while protecting the environment of the areas the motorway crosses. While traffic is constantly increasing, it’s also true that the peaks occur during the weekends and the Italian, Austrian, and German bank holidays and other festivities. During these periods, critical service levels are reached for countless hours with an average traffic of 2,500 to 3,000 vehicles an hour, reduced travel time speed and consequent congestions. The third dynamic lane - i.e. the hard shoulder - will be activated on a need-by-need basis. It’s an effective solution to this problem – at least until Verona. From here onwards, an actual third lane will be possible thanks to the available additional space. The project’s goals are solving functionality issues and increasing the level of available services, increasing safety standards, and updating the environmental measures. The third lane will be complemented by 80 sound barriers and by dozens of rainwater collection and treatment units. To avoid exhaust pipe waste or tyre residue from infiltrating the soil below the asphalt, the Autostrada del Brennero developed a project in 2006 which created a system to treat and clean the contaminated water left on the motorway before it seeped into the soil. The project will focus on three sections. The first is the southernmost area between km 312+200 and km 313+700 which will adapt the A22-A1 junction which serves the Campogalliano-Sassuolo motorway. The second will be between the Verona Nord tollgate (km 223+100) and the Veneto-Lombardy border (km 246+185) in the Verona province. The third is between km 246+185 and km 312+200 – the motorway’s central section – and encompasses the provinces of Mantova, Reggio Emilia, and Modena. The projects were approved and are part of the financial project approved by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport at the end of the 2022, aiming to renew the concession for the motorway’s management. The third lane will also include other structural interventions such as upgrading four overpasses of the regular road network, upgrading countless underpasses, replacing the main overpass and building two new lateral overpasses on the Serenissima motorway, and changing the exit to the A1 motorway. All the work will be carried out in line with the most modern building criteria and cutting-edge raw material technology to guarantee safety levels above those set out in the law; new and more spacious emergency areas will be built, the acceleration and deceleration lanes will be widened, the crash barriers will be upgraded, and the fog lamp system will be boosted.
