Work will begin on June 17th for the construction of the large ring in the square, where all 8 lines of the SMART system will pass
Together with the contemporary construction site in via Tommaseo it is the first construction site in the street for the running route created by the company that won lot 2 east of Sir2, Vittadello spa.
The station hub is the point where the three lines intersect, i.e. the existing Sir1, Sir2 and Sir3, and a high-capacity ring will be created in the forecourt, with various stopping platforms, which will guarantee greater capacity, therefore greater simultaneous presence of vehicles and where it will be possible to manage the passage of different lines.
“Today we present another construction site and we present the main hub of the entire system, a crucial point of the works together with the Gozzi/Tommaseo hub. – declares the mobility councilor Andrea Ragona – This is an important piece of the regeneration work of the entire station area as the advent of the new tram lines, together with the works for the former IFIP and PP1 areas, combined with the project of the new station that RFI is developing will give a new face to the whole area. From here you can reach a large part of the city without changing vehicles and at the same time you can reach the station quickly and above all without a car from all the terminals of the system and therefore also from neighboring municipalities. A construction site that is in fact the start of a path that has important repercussions on the entire territory, a complex construction site because the work is complex but which paradoxically will have less impact on the traffic of others. Here too we chose to proceed in the summer, taking advantage of the lower number of commuters passing to and from the station, an area frequented in particular by pedestrians, bicycles and public transport vehicles, for whom we paid special attention on the one hand by creating new transit points such as the pedestrian crossing at the former IFIP, on the other hand subdividing the construction site in such a way as to affect the local public transport if necessary with the moving of some terminus in the month of August.
In the coming months we advise all people who need to reach the station by car to use the north entrance, on via Avanzo.”
The project
The ring is made up of two parallel runways, with different stopping platforms, and the two lateral curves from where the connections with the existing line and with the two new lines under construction will branch off.
This is a complex construction site because thousands of people pass through the station every day and it is a strategic hub for the entire local public transport system. For this reason the construction sites were scheduled in two macro-phases, both in the summer. The first macro-phase, i.e. summer 2024, involves the construction of the runways and civil works. The second, i.e. summer 2025, involves the construction of the connections and the plant engineering part.
The works for the summer of 2024 will start on 17 June and will be divided into two phases with a very limited construction site in such a way as to impact as little as possible on local public transport.
“The design of this ring in the station fits precisely into the logic of the interoperability of vehicles and infrastructures. – comments the RUP of the Sir2 Diego Galiazzo – Compared to a simple intersection it allows us to move from the three lines Sir1-Sir2-Sir3 to a system that envisages the composition of 8 different lines in the future, guaranteeing the simultaneous presence of multiple vehicles and the management more exchanges and passages of the different lines. We can define the station as the symbol of the SMART system, that is, the ring that allows us to create a metropolitan network system going beyond the three infrastructures.”
Phases
17 June – end of July
In this first phase, work will be done in what is now the lane intended for cars on the north side of the square, overlooking the station. If part of the rail is already present in the southern part, not in the northern part, so we will start from this point, closing transit to cars arriving from via della Pace.
The road system
Those arriving from via della Pace will not be able to pass in front of the station and to approach the entrance they will have to go around via Codalunga or go to via Avanzo and use the north entrance of the station. For those arriving from Corso del Popolo nothing changes, just as for those arriving from Viale Codalunga. Metropark and Bicipark will be open and accessible.
In this phase there will be no interference with the bus lines that pass through or terminate in the station square
PHASE 2
end of July – mid-September
In this second phase, after having completed the runway in the northern area, work will be done in the southern lanes and, based on the progress of the construction site, it will be defined how to proceed with the construction of the two curves, possibly taking advantage of the ordinary stop for the Sir1 summer maintenance. Details on traffic in this second phase will be communicated later.
Comments
Giacomo Fasolato, manager of Vittadello Spa adds: “We filed the traffic ordinance last week and we accepted the requests received from the administration to divide the construction site in such a way as to have the least possible impact on traffic and transport. We will start with the northern part of the ring, overlooking the station, and then move the construction site to the southern part from August.
A great challenge is also starting for us, which we will carry forward with the contracting authority and the administration, to carry out this great work that will change the face of Padua.”
Mario Annicchiarico, technical site director for the Sir2 east lot concludes: “The spaces for bicycles, taxis and emergency vehicles will always be accessible, as will the bus lanes at least in the first phase. Based on the progress of the construction site and the greater complexities involved in creating some parts of the large ring, such as the curves and intersections with the lines, we will evaluate step by step whether any further changes to the road system will be necessary in the second phase but our objective is that of being able to keep the transit unchanged as much as possible.”
