How can an institution with a reduced investment capacity for asphalt on a network of over 3,000 kilometers of roads guarantee the maintenance of high valley roads and Alpine passes that climb up to 2750 meters above sea level. The safety works on the provincial road between Pian della Regina and Pian del Re, in the upper Po valley, which will open next Thursday, are being completed in recent days.
«It may seem like a drop in the ocean – says Luca Robaldo, president of the Province – but those 99 thousand euros of own resources invested by our institution are of vital importance for the economy of an entire valley. Just as the 40 thousand spent to remove the snow from the last kilometers of the Colle dell’Agnello in the upper Varaita valley, opened last Saturday, or the 30 thousand in the Stura valley to open the Colle della Lombarda, or even a few days before the Colle of Sampeyre, between the Varaita valley and the Maira valley. But now we need the role of the Province to be recognised.”
An important effort has been put in place this spring by the Province, with over 110 thousand euros invested just for the removal of snow from the main Alpine connection passes, almost triple compared to previous years due to the heavy late winter snowfalls. If Agnello, Lombarda, Pian del Re and other hills have been opened, despite the difficulties, with the same timing as other years, much still remains to be done. The Salt Road from Limone to Monesi will remain closed for a few more days due to the presence of ice and snow. Announced for June 15th, it was postponed to the 22nd for security reasons. It will then be open every day until September 15th. This year too, two days a week are planned, Tuesday and Thursday, in which the former military road will be closed to motorized traffic, regulated on the other days. For the Fauniera, however, an appeal was even launched to the fans to make it suitable for cyclists at the next «Fausto Coppi».
«The Province never holds back – continues Robaldo – and this is why we strongly wanted to invest in snow removal interventions and in the restoration of the Pian del Re provincial road. Although impoverished in its functions, the Province continues to deal with fundamental issues, such as traffic. But precisely because this body is now reduced to a minimum, it is evident that we are opening our eyes: there is a need for someone to become aware of the situation.”
The strange winter of 2023-24 will cost the Province dearly. While once the snow and ice clearing of roads were mostly concentrated between December and February, climate change is ensuring that the season cannot be considered closed until at least May.
«Compared to twenty years ago – Robaldo recalls – today we spend four times as much. And we’re just talking about routine maintenance and prevention. The hope is that, after these efforts, there will be renewed attention towards the Province. The Region and Government must return to investing in this intermediate body, close to the people and the needs of the territory. At a historical moment in which the demographic decline is affecting the smaller municipalities and there is a risk of seeing entire marginal areas forgotten.”
