The Municipality of Palermo relaunches his own anti-pothole plan. The biggest emergency in the city in everyday life together with the piles of waste on the street. The Administration led by the mayor Roberto Lagalla presented this morning the list of interventions to be carried out on the streets of the Sicilian capital. The councilor for Public Works was present at the press conference Salvatore Orlando and the colleague with responsibility for Green Pietro Alongi. A systematic group of actions based on the framework agreement up to a maximum of 46 million euros.
The anti-pothole plan of the Municipality of Palermo
The first contracts were signed on March 26, 2024. Since then the first construction sites have started on the main axes of the city. “The Municipality of Palermo never dealt with potholes until 2020 – says councilor Salvatore Orlando -. With a modification to the service contract, the Municipality has regained possession of this competence, leaving marginal interventions to Rap through union ordinances. Program that was supposed to last six months but lasted more than three years due to continuous extensions. Today we are autonomous and have created the first organic interventions“. Three axes of intervention described this morning: emergency intervention, necessary to plug the holes that gradually form in the most damaged sections; construction sites on entire road axes, which are involving some specific sections; finally, some targeted interventions on a series of routes with greater need for intervention.
The emergency service and construction site damage
With regard to emergency response, the Administration has reeled off the numbers of what has been done to date. From June 2023the workers appointed by Palazzo delle Aquile carried out the execution 2257 interventions. The area most affected by this type of work was the V District, with 436 works carried out. Problems often arise from the failure to finish road construction sites. A fact on which the Municipality has announced greater controls. “70% of the problems arose from construction sites carried out by companies outside the Municipality, but also by investee companies. We have issued a formal warning to a company that carried out interventions without authorization in via XX Settembre”, declared councilor Orlando.
The main road axes involved
Then we talked about the interventions on the main road axes of the city. Among the areas involved are the Porto-Circomvallazione connection for 1.7 million; the Court-Notarbartolo axis for 800,000 euros; via Rome; the connection between Ospeldale “Di Cristina” and Foro Italico, for 500,000 euros, and via Castelforte 800,000 euros. The package in question also includes the works on Via Libertà, with a total cost of 500,000 euros. The construction site ended up at the center of controversy due to some repairs deemed excessively rough. A fact on which the mayor Roberto Lagalla wanted to have his say. We were in the news for three days because a strip of bitumen was placed on a sidewalk that was being renovated on Via Libertà to prevent people from falling. This was seen as a disfigurement of the city centre. Frankly, imagining that you have to do Florentine embroidery for a patch is perhaps an excess“.
The elimination of tree interference
The last two interventions will concern the Lincoln-Piazza XIII Vittime axis, for a sum of 200,000 euros, and the one between via Montepellegrino and the Rotoli cemetery, for a sum of 500,000 euros. In both cases, the Municipal Administration will be able to benefit from a sort of aid derived from the resurfacing of the road surface by the companies appointed by Terna, which have carried out excavations in the areas in question to replace the electricity systems. The anti-pothole plan will also be accompanied by an urban redevelopment project that will be followed by the Green Department led by Pietro Alongi. Interventions for 4.9 million euros which will be allocated to the elimination of interference generated by the trees on some road axes. List which also includes via Monte San Calogero, a road in the VI District whose critical issues have been dealt with by the BlogSicilia editorial team.
Former Gescal funds and road monitoring
On the sidelines, the Municipality is also carrying out some target interventions on various streets in Palermo. These include Corso Calatafimi; Avenue of Sciences; Viale Regione Siciliana; via Giafar, viale Michelangelo; via Petrarca-Rapisardi. Works to which will be added those financed with former Gescal resources. Approximately 4.5 million euros which will include the resurfacing of the streets in the Zen-San Filippo Nero, Sperone and Borgo Nuovo neighborhoods. Operations which are being accompanied by road monitoring. Checks involving 71 roads for a total of 595 interventions. The objective is to spend every euro available, as recalled by mayor Roberto Lagalla. “In addition to emergency interventions, the plan includes works on entire road axes, restoration of segmental damage which commits the money available on a framework agreement of up to 46 million, and the coverage of potholes. We have produced a regulation for the control of construction sites, even those supported by investee companies. There will be increased vigilance to avoid interference“.
